Human by Night
by mountaingirl47
Summary: A selfish King is put under a daunting curse. One girl, who lives alone in the woods, finds such a beast and cares for him. The King must learn to be kind or he will lose his kingdom and human life to lesser men. He must become a man worthy of the girl.
1. Chapter 1

Morg: Heyo! Sorry about not-

Ikuto: We don't care.

Amu: Dude! Not nice.

Morg: I agree comp-

Shrimpy: *Out of breath* Hey guys! Sorry I'm late.

Morg: Oh! Hey! Wel-

Ikuto: What the…

Amu: 0.o

Shrimpy: Didn't Morg tell you what's going on? Oh well, here's the scoop. I wrote this fabulous story but decided it needed a little… Morg-ness, so I sent it to mountaingirl47 to get some.

Morg: Yep! I real-

Ikuto: Hold on! So this is a collaboration?

Amu: Sounds like it.

Shrimpy: Full of Amuto and Ikuto perviness! In this Ikuto turns into a cat and-

Morg: Okay! No more interruptions! About the cat thing… well not any more he doesn't.

Ikuto: Good because I think that's a little overdone.

Amu: Agreed!

Shrimpy: But, but… Fine. Amu is dating Tad-

Morg: Again, not anymore.

Ikuto: Thank you!

Amu: … Wait! Hey!

Shrimpy: Of course it would never stay that way! I said Amuto.

Morg: Time to read.

Ikuto: I suppose this can't be that bad.

Amu: It could be!

Shrimpy: It's not that bad! Neither Morg or I own you so… here's Midnight Cat!

Morg: I changed that too…

**~Human by Night~**

"Please sir! Have mercy! Without me my family will not survive. Please!"

The man's pleas couldn't have fallen on less caring ears. Ikuto had no intentions of listening to anything the peasant said. The man couldn't have committed a bigger crime in the blue haired king's eyes. Stealing from him was the worst thing anyone could do, even if the item wasn't technically Ikuto's in the first place. "Guards, remove him."

One advisor couldn't sit back any longer. Ikuto trusted him well enough that he should be able to speak his mind. "Sir, please reconsider."

"Go ahead and throw this loud mouth advisor in as well."

The rest of his court remained silent as the advisor, along with the man only trying to feed his family, were taken from the room. No one dared to contradict him anymore. It always went the same way for those that did. Dungeon until even your loved ones forget that you exist. Piss off the King and your face is never seen again.

Bored with how his evening was going already, Ikuto decided that he'd had enough of the festivities. People could dance and eat however much they wanted to. He was finished. When he stood, the room stilled. No one moved until he started to descend the stairs. As one, everyone bowed except an old lady in the middle of the crowd. Her back was already bent with age and she could no longer move as she once did. Bowing was impossible, anyone could see that.

Ikuto was outraged. When he moved, no one was to be standing upright. "You there. Bow now."

The woman did her best to get lower, but her body wouldn't allow her to do so. "I am sorry my Lord. I cannot make this old body get any lower. Please understand that I have the upmost respect for thee."

Ikuto almost lost it. "Then you should fall to your knees."

The woman stared at the young king before her. "For your selfishness, you shall be punished."

As she spoke, the old crone turned into a beautiful maiden. Ikuto's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean punished?"

The now young woman laughed. She sounded evil despite her beautiful appearance. "You shall be cursed.

_Creature of night that walks by day_

_Strokes of midnight will reveal true form_

_Become a King worthy of love_

_Until then thus you will stay_

_A beast until true love breaks_

_This curse I thrust upon thee_

You have until your twenty first birthday to break this curse or you shall remain a beast forever. Enjoy your new life, my King. I hope that you enjoy being what you will become with the sun. Sleep well this night."

Ikuto motioned for the guards to seize her, but the woman was gone before they could take more than a few steps in her direction. With a lazy look, Ikuto addressed the crowd. "Whatever she was, her words do not affect me."

The people stayed in their bowed position until he was out of the room. The door closed and whispers erupted. If the king was now cursed, they wouldn't have to listen to him any longer. They could govern themselves or finally leave him since whatever he tried to say, they would not hear.

Ikuto paced his room before settling down on his bed. The witch couldn't have truly put a curse on him. He didn't feel any different than he had before she started spewing out that mumbo jumbo. It just wasn't possible. He was king after all.

Tossing and turning, said king got the worst night's sleep in his almost twenty one years of life. Regardless of how nonchalant he had seemed to his subjects, the witch's words had gotten to the blue haired king. His dreams were filled with horrible monsters and evil beautiful women.

Sunlight made its way across his room until it landed on his eyes. Ikuto blinked several times as he tried to wake up. Stretching, he moved off his bed and padded across the floor to his vanity mirror. A King had to look his best.

A loud yowl escaped the King's mouth. Yes a yowl since he was no longer a man, but a large cat. A large midnight blue cat. A panther actually. A panther is not a man and cannot be a king.

Hissing at his own image, Ikuto pounced across the room to where his door was. Without thumbs, he could not get out of the room. Growls ripped from his throat as he began scratching the door with his large paws. One way or another, the boy was going to get out.

Fearing that their king was being attacked, several guards swung the door open and charged in. Ikuto jumped back and hissed at them. Lowering their spears and swords, the guards attempted to corner the large cat. Using his new found abilities of agility, Ikuto managed to twist and turn his way past the shocked guards. He fled down the halls of his castle until he managed to find the way out. There was no way that he could stay now. His life was in danger. There was no way for his subjects to know it was him.

A window provided his escape. Ikuto raced as fast as his four legs would take him until he was deep enough into the forest. Thinking that he was safe, Ikuto allowed himself to collapse onto his side and pant. He needed water and his stomach growled something fierce, but he didn't know what to do. All his life, people had brought him whatever it was that he needed. Finding food and water on his own seemed impossible.

Without much warning, Ikuto felt sleep take over him. The afternoon was well under way when the now panther king woke up again. His stomach growled loudly, causing the blue cat to jump. His hair stood on end and his tail was puffed out. Slowly, his heart beat relaxed and his hair fell to its natural place.

What kind of cat was scared by his own stomach? Ikuto felt even more like an idiot. He had never been so hungry in his life. Without any better plan, the panther man began wandering through the forest, hoping to find something that would save his life. He chanced upon a spring and got used to drinking water by lapping it up with his tongue. The first several times he tried it out, it didn't go so well, but he was getting the hang of it.

His senses picked up movement coming from behind him as he stayed crouched over the little stream. His hearing didn't tell him what it was moving, but he knew that it wasn't as small as he wished it was. Instincts took over the feline as he twitched his tail ever so slightly. The almost silent movements continued until they sounded as though they were right behind him. Ikuto waited.

The sound of feet scurrying away reached his ears. Letting his instincts guide him, Ikuto took off after the sound. He was hungry and whatever it was was going to be his supper. He ran after his prey for a good forty minutes to an hour before the inexperienced panther finally gave up on his chase. There was no way he was going to catch anything considering he had no skills at being quiet during the hunt. He'd have to practice, but that could wait until later. What Ikuto really needed was another nap. Being a large cat was rather difficult for the once human man.

The tree branch that he found held him nicely for the nap he so desperately needed. Ikuto's legs and tail hung off as he dozed. This time it was after dark before he woke again. Gold met his eyes. Not just any gold though, this golden color reminded him of the finest honey in his kingdom. That thought didn't help the hungry cat forget about his stomach.

A loud growl filled the air and the two stared at each other in disbelief. Amu had managed to get close to the sleeping cat, unbelievable as it was, and was about to kill it for its fur when it opened it eyes. Now she couldn't believe how human the animal acted. The big cat's stomach growled and the damn thing looked embarrassed about it. "Fine, come with me."

As if the night couldn't get any weirder for the pinkette, the panther actually jumped out of the tree and followed her like a pet. Leading the cat through the trees to her home, Amu mentally thought over what she could possibly feed the starving cat and what she was going to do with it after she fed it. There was always the option of feeding and caring for it until it got bigger, thus more fur for the pinkette. Or she could feed it and kick it out.

Ikuto couldn't believe his luck. This young girl was kind enough to invite him home with her while he was a panther. A panther! Something that could eat her! Obviously she wasn't worried about that fact.

His nose twitched. Her smell was wonderful, he'd already realized that, but this smell was different. There was another human nearby, but the smell was too new for it to be someone that lived in that area.

Ikuto moved forward and walked beside the pinkette instead of behind her. The smell was getting stronger. Someone had passed by in the direction they were heading. Someone was possibly waiting for her up ahead. Ikuto didn't know how he could tell what was happening, but his instincts told him to protect the girl.

He bumped up against her thigh as she walked, causing the girl to shift slightly to the side of the path. Her hand came down on his back and she pet him for a moment without noticing what she was doing. Ikuto almost forgot about the smell. Her touch was like pure bliss. Then a new waft of the stench reached his nose. Letting out a soft growling noise, Ikuto bumped Amu again. If there was any way for him to let her know something was wrong then this was it. He couldn't speak but he could still warn her.

A figure stepped out of the trees just ahead of the pondering pinkette. She froze as soon as she realized that someone else was there. The fading light made it difficult for the girl to see who it was, but Ikuto had no problem making out the man before them. It was Tadase. One of Ikuto's advisors, who Ikuto didn't like very much, stood before the girl and big cat.

"Who is it?"

Ikuto let out a growl to follow Amu's question.

Tadase smirked as he stepped forward. "Tadase. I came to let you know that King Ikuto has disappeared."

A small gasp escaped the pinkette's mouth. "What happened to him?"

The man took another step forward. Ikuto growled louder. Amu ran a hand down his back, letting him know that she was okay. Tadase just stared at the panther before his eyes returned to the pinkette. "A witch put a curse on him and now he is gone. The whole kingdom is celebrating. I'm to be one of the men in charge now since I was a highly trusted advisor."

As only a large cat can do, Ikuto snorted. Like he ever listened to what the blond had to say. It was more like Tadase was one of the men that were smart enough to keep his mouth shut after reaching the position of advisor.

Amu ran her hand down Ikuto's back again. "You are sure that he is gone?"

Tadase nodded. "The guards reported some kind of large cat in his chambers this morning. They attempted to seize the animal, but it escaped. How long have you had that panther?"

Amu looked down at the large midnight blue cat next to her. There was no way that Tadase would believe that she found the cat maybe fifteen minutes before and he was already this protective and calm around her. "I raised it. Found it as a cub. So with the king gone, will my father be released?"

The smile that Tadase wore made the hair on Ikuto's neck stick up. "That depends on how well you are willing to cooperate to set him free."

Amu raised one eyebrow before shifting slightly closer to Ikuto, much to Ikuto's delight. "I'll have to think over what you have told me. Good night, Tadase."

"Don't wait too long before you come to me, Amu. Your father doesn't need to spend longer than he already has to in jail. By the way, what is his name?"

Ikuto hissed at the man as they passed him. Amu just laughed and ran her hand across his glossy back again. "Come on Midnight, let's go home."

Both human and cat were relieved when Tadase let them pass and continue on. Amu wanted to get home before it got too much darker and Ikuto was starving. Her small cabin came into view and Ikuto was never happier to see a building in his life. His castle bored him, but he knew there was food in that small hut. He could smell it.

There was no lock on the door, which Ikuto didn't think was very smart. Amu let him in first so he could check it out. She also left the door open so that the big cat wouldn't feel trapped. Ikuto wasn't worried about that. He instantly found his way over to the fire pit where a small amount of scraps were on the floor. He licked it clean. A king should never eat off the floor, or have scraps for that matter, but Ikuto was so hungry that it didn't matter.

Licking his lips he turned to Amu. She laughed when she saw him staring at her with big hungry eyes. "Alright, alright! You can have more than that."

Ikuto was delighted when she pulled out a bag from a cupboard. His nose twitched as the smell of dried meat reached him. Being so hungry, and just so darn cute, Ikuto flopped onto the floor and rolled onto his back. He stared up at Amu with begging eyes. She laughed again before tossing a long strip of the meat to him.

Ikuto was on his feet in a flash. He even caught the meat with his paws. Holding it to the ground, the big cat began chewing the dried meat. It was difficult to eat it since his teeth were made for ripping fresh meat of the bones of his prey.

Amu leaned up against the wall with the bag still in hand to watch her new friend eat. Despite it being hard for him to eat, Ikuto devoured the strip she'd given him. He only had to glance at Amu while licking his lips to receive another piece. He ended up eating four total before he was licking his face and cleaning his paws while purring.

Amu couldn't believe how tame such a wild animal could be. Everything her father had ever taught her about panthers was being contradicted in one night. Yawning, the girl decided that it was late enough. She slipped off her shoes and removed the band holding her pink hair back. Ikuto watched as she slipped out of her vest, but stayed in her pants and shirt.

Amu glanced back at the open door before she turned to look at the panther before her. "If you want to stay and be 'Midnight' then go shut the door."

Never expecting the panther to follow her orders, Ikuto moved to shut the door. Amu watched with her mouth open wide. There was no way that the big cat actually knew what she had said, yet it closed the door and returned to stand next to her bed.

With his tail twitching back and forth, Ikuto debated about whether or not she'd let him sleep in her bed. Amu finished up her last couple bedtime rituals before she climbed up onto her bed. The reason for wanting to kill the panther was so she could turn its pelt into a blanket. Now she could just sleep with the panther.

Patting the open space beside her, Amu called for the large cat. "Come on Midnight. Time for bed."

Ikuto happily jumped up onto the bed. It wasn't nearly as nice as his had been in the palace, but at least he didn't have to sleep on the floor. Lying out with his back against her chest, Ikuto began to purr as Amu stroked his fur. She drifted off to sleep, but Ikuto stayed awake. The witch had said that at midnight he'd return to his human self until the sun rose.

He was beginning to think that she'd lied and now he was a cat for good until his body got all tingly and itchy. The next thing he knew, he was being cuddled by the sleeping girl while naked. Ikuto thought about waking up the tired girl. He almost did it too, but then he remembered how she was in the predicament she was in with Tadase all because Ikuto had imprisoned her father.

If Amu found out that he was the king then there was no doubt in his mind that she'd either kill him or kick him out. Either way, Ikuto was a dead kitty if he lost Amu. No, he would have to keep it a secret for as long as he could.

.

Morg: I worked pretty hard on this chapter to make it so good.

Ikuto: Next time work a little harder to get a lemon in.

Amu: Not everything is about lemonade.

Shrimpy: But I like lemonade.

Morg: Since the opening was forever and a day long, I'll keep this short.

Ikuto: Review.

Amu: Don't.

Shrimpy: Do it!

Morg: Thanks! And thanks to shrimpy322994 for asking me to write this for her. I can't wait to see how everything plays out!


	2. Chapter 2

Morg: Heyo! Sorry about taking so long to get back to this one…

Ikuto: I bet you are.

Amu: I'm so cool in this story.

Shrimpy: I can't believe you took so long! Chapter two was planned out forever ago!

Morg: I'm sorry! I forgot to add it to my updating list.

Ikuto: -.-

Amu: 0.o

Shrimpy: Your what?

Morg: I have all of my stories in an updating order. It's never the same order but I forgot to add this one…

Ikuto: Thanks, thanks a lot.

Amu: No love.

Shrimpy: Ridiculous.

Morg: Shut it! I apologized already! Get over it!

Ikuto: I don't have to.

Amu: Nope.

Shrimpy: Just write the chapter!

Morg: Fine… I own nothing…

**~Human by Night~**

The knife slipped through his fingers, but the man caught it before it fell and flipped it back up into the air only to catch it once more. "Is it done?"

The hooded man before him watched the blade's movement even if Tadase couldn't see his face. "Yes. They're dead."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

"Were you seen?"

"No."

"Does anyone know you're working for me?"

"No."

The man should have watched the blade more carefully as it was now sticking out of his forehead. "Good."

Two other men moved into the room and dragged the now dead assassin away. Tadase smoothed out his clothes before getting to his feet. The other men in the room were his most trusted underlings. The Capitan stepped forward. "Sir, shall we alert the others to a potential threat?"

Tadase grinned before putting on his scared face. "Please protect my life! If I die then the kingdom shall go into shambles! We mustn't let whoever is behind this get there way! Give me complete power to get to the bottom of this!"

"Very good, sir."

Tadase scoffed as he moved towards the door. "It's perfect. I'll have the court in the palm of my hand."

XXX

Amu woke to the feeling of being cold. Her hand ran across the surface of her bed, feeling for Midnight but coming up empty. Maybe it all had been a good dream. There was no way a panther could really act the way Midnight had.

Yowling pulled Amu right out of her thoughts. She sat up so fast that her head felt dizzy. Waiting for it to calm down, Amu tried to figure out what could have made such a sound just outside of her small house. The noise came again and this time the pinkette bolted out of her bed and to an open window.

If the night before had seemed bizarre, it couldn't compare to the scene unfolding before her eyes. Midnight was chasing butterflies. Butterflies! He was also doing a horrible job of it. No matter what the big cat did, he just could seem to get his timing right. He'd lunge for the fluttering object, only to come up short or long. A couple of times he didn't even land on his feet.

Yep, she was dreaming. There was no way that a panther this poorly equipped actually lived to be this old. If the damn thing couldn't even catch a butterfly then how had he eaten before she found it. Thinking back to the amount of dry meat the cat had eaten the night before, Amu realized that the cat had just barely made it before she found him.

Without alerting her new pet to her presence, Amu watched from the window as Ikuto jumped after one butterfly before switching off to another one. The pinkette doubted that the insects felt that they were even remotely in danger considering that the dark haired cat was no where close to hitting them.

One particularly hard jump put Ikuto with his paws against the tree. Of course, he wasn't skilled in using his claws yet so when he pushed off the tree, they came out and dug into the bark. Being a big cat meant big claws. Ikuto was stuck. He pulled and pulled but his claws just wouldn't release.

The grunts and growls that he released from his throat to the offending tree were not pleasant. Amu watched him struggle for only a moment or two before finally moving from her spot in the window to grab a knife. It was obvious that the big cat wasn't going to free himself, and Amu definitely did not want to listen to all of his racket all day long.

Holding a knife to cut him free, the pinkette carefully approached the big cat. His claws could come free at any moment, causing him to possibly injure himself and or her. Amu didn't want either to happen. "Midnight, calm down, Midnight. I'm gong to help you. Just calm down. There's a good kitty. Yes, let me get close enough. No don't fret; this is just to get you free."

Ikuto stared at the pinkette as she pulled the knife out from behind her back. His first thought was to jerk away since he was so sure that she'd figured out that he was the king and needed to die. Her words were soothing, however, and the large cat felt himself calming down despite his initial fear.

"Good kitty." Amu worked the knife into the bark while she tried to keep the panther stuck to the tree calm. "Just a few more minutes and I'll have you free. Good kitty, you aren't very good at the whole hunting thing, are you?"

Ikuto sent the pinkette a look of disbelief as if to say 'you're one to talk'. As if she'd known what that look meant, Amu stopped her work with her knife to take a step back. "If you're so high and mighty then get yourself out."

Ikuto wasn't about to be told what to do by anyone, especially not some nobody living alone in a forest. He tugged for a few more minutes before finally giving up. He was going to have to admit that he was wrong somehow to make the pinkette, who was still standing right next to him, help him get free. The way her arms were crossed and she was just watching him struggle without emotion, told Ikuto that he was going to have to do his best to apologize.

"Mew."

Amu couldn't believe how every moment with the panther kept her on her toes and not in a bad or frightening way. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn that that meow was some kind of apology for the look he had given her.

Little did Amu know, that was exactly what Ikuto was intending it to be. He needed the pinkette's help and that was even more apparent to the big cat considering he couldn't even catch a fucking butterfly! She was going to have to provide for him until he could figure out how to be a big cat. Ikuto feared that that could be a while.

"Alright fine, you're forgiven. Just hold still."

Amu worked the knife into the bark of the tree next to each claw that was stuck deep. Shivers ran down her spine as she imagined the panther using those claws to tear into her flesh. That must never happen. It probably couldn't at the moment. Midnight was too naïve to be able to catch her.

As the last claw came free, Ikuto jumped back to stare at the offending tree that had attempted to kill him. If he was still human, he would have been screaming some obscenities at the peaceful giant. Since he was in fact a panther, the king just backed away and laid down in a sunny spot with his eyes on Amu. Her hair was still rumpled from sleep, making Ikuto realize that she'd gotten up and helped him before taking care of her own needs. Who did that?

Amu stared right back into the dark blue eyes that seemed to be looking for some kind of fault within her. She hoped that he couldn't find one, but there was no way for her to know what the big cat decided since he was in fact a big cat. Midnight may seem human sometimes but that didn't make him one.

In that moment, Amu decided that she'd let the panther live with her. She enjoyed his company even if he couldn't talk back to her when she spoke to him. For now, it was enough just to have another living, breathing thing in her house. "Come on, Midnight, let's get some breakfast."

Lazily, Ikuto followed the pinkette back into the house and waited for more meat. She only gave him two pieces before making something for herself over the small fire. He took his time chewing them and savoring the flavor before licking his paws clean. At least he was getting better at doing something cat like.

Amu ran through a list of things in her head. This list contained what she needed to do and what she wanted to do. Some of the items on the need list were gathering food and checking her snares for small animals. Something she wanted to do was to teach Midnight how to at least stalk up on prey. There may be a time when he didn't want to come back to her house with her and Amu was damn sure that she wasn't about to let him leave without at least making sure that he could survive without her.

Ikuto was thinking about the things he needed to do as well. They consisted of taking a nap and oh would you look at that, taking a nap. His eyes began closing slowly as he relaxed into his spot on the floor. The man version of himself hadn't gotten much sleep during the night considering he had to be ready to escape if Amu had started to wake up. Luckily for him, she slept like the dead.

Napping was a wonderful idea and he was doing a pretty good job of it despite the fact that Amu was banging around in her cupboards and moving stuff and constantly doing something to make too much noise. At least every once in a while the pinkette would stop to take a second to pet his glossy fur. Ikuto enjoyed that.

Amu had everything ready for a day out in the woods. She had her bag for edible roots and nuts. Her basket for picking berries and any apples she could find. There was also her game bag a knife for skinning and or cutting and resetting her snares. The vest she'd worn the day before was the last thing she pulled on before running her fingers through her hair to make it lie flat. "Alright Midnight, time to head out."

Ikuto perked up at the sound of her name for him, but his nap was going too well. There was no way that he was going to get up now.

"Unless you want to stay here, but then I'm not sharing what I went out and gathered for dinner with you."

Okay, so there was a way to get him to get up. The thought of getting to eat something besides the dried meat appealed to the big cat too much for him to let the opportunity pass. He heaved himself onto his feet and padded quietly behind her.

Amu stopped once they were in the middle of the small clearing around her house. "I'm allowing you to come with but there is one rule. If you make too much noise, you're done."

Ikuto stared up at her. So he was going to have to work to stay silent, eh? Well, the king was pretty good at using stealth as a human so figuring out how to do it with four paws instead of two feet couldn't be that much harder, could it?

Amu let the first couple of branch cracks go considering they were nowhere close to her hunting spots yet. That and she knew that the big cat was trying his hardest. He even went so far as to show his frustration through letting out small growls when he messed up. Amu couldn't believe how smart the creature was. He understood her every word. There was no longer a doubt in the pinkette's mind that her father had been entirely wrong about panthers.

After twenty minutes of silence, Amu figured that Ikuto had learned to walk quietly. Now, she was ready to teach him how to run and move through the woods at a quick pace, just as quiet. "Come on Midnight, you have to be able to keep up."

Speed wasn't his problem. It was following that damn girl as she jumped from rock to rock and from a tree to the ground without making a fucking noise. Ikuto felt his muscles working the best they could to allow him to do everything in his power to keep up but remain silent. It was hard work for the lazy king.

Amu slowed down when she neared her berry bushes. Using her hand to signal Ikuto to stop, Amu pulled out her knife and moved forwards very slowly. Ikuto watched her slink her way up to the bushes and look around at the ground. Whatever she was looking for, the pinkette seemed to find it as she followed an invisible trail around the bush.

Just after she'd gone out of sight, a thud sounded. Ikuto feared that something had happened to the girl, but not even a few seconds later she was back with a rabbit in her hands. Her knife had blood on it and the rabbit was missing an eye. "I caught us lunch. If you eat any of it without me, we're through."

Ikuto sat down on his hunches and gave her a disbelieving look. As if he'd eat a raw rabbit. Yeah right.

Amu hung the little animal by its feet from a nearby tree and went to work picking some of the ripe fruit on the tree. Fall was in full swing and the bushes wouldn't be producing any more fruit in just a few more weeks. The pinkette needed to get plenty of it before the first frost took them all.

Ikuto went back to taking his nap while the pinkette worked up a sweat. She had her basket full before she called it quits and woke up her new pet panther. "Come on Midnight, we've got more work to do."

Ikuto cracked an eye open to see Amu already walking away without him. He decided that she was quite rude, but got up to follow after her anyways. This time Amu didn't take a crazy fast path through the forest. Her basket of berries was too precious for her to risk spilling.

Several times she turned around to look at the big cat as it silently followed her through the forest towards the area she set up her snares. Ikuto could only guess at what she was thinking every time she turned to look at him. He wouldn't have been surprised if she suddenly decided to just kill him since she was a hunter.

Amu had other plans for the big cat, however, and they included making him carry her heavy load so that she could move faster. If he was going to eat, then he was going to help.

XXX

Ikuto trudged wearily back to the cabin with Amu. His body was tired from such a long day. She'd even forced him to take a bath in a stream. Granted, he got to see her wet even if she didn't take off all of her clothes. Still, water was not his best friend when he was covered with thick fur.

He just wanted to get in her bed and sleep the night away, but there was no way he could allow himself to do that. Especially since Amu wasn't going to let him sleep there with wet fur anyways.

Ikuto was wallowing in his own pity so much that he failed to realize that there was a new scent at the house. He stopped right before the door and nudged Amu with his head. Something wasn't right. She was too tired to try and figure out what he was telling her so she went ahead and opened the door anyways to be met by several large men.

.

Morg: The end.

Ikuto: That was a lame ending.

Amu: You totally left us all hanging!

Shrimpy: That was not planned! Morg!

Morg: HEHEHEHEHEHEHE!

Ikuto: Don't review!

Amu: Yeah! That'll show her.

Shrimpy: But-but! Please!

Morg: Review or don't, either way I'll be updating soon~


	3. Chapter 3

Morg: Heyo! You guys get a special treat today!

Ikuto: Oh really. What's that.

Amu: I can't wait to find out.

Morg: You could at least be a little excited!

Ikuto: No I can't.

Amu: Agreed.

Morg: URGH! Fine! Be that way!

Ikuto: We can.

Amu: Because you don't own us.

**~Human by Night~**

Ikuto instantly crouched down and let his teeth show. A long loud hiss emitted from his bared fangs and Amu instantly took a step back. Her hand found the knife on her belt, but was pulled away by a man that came from behind her. Ikuto didn't know what to do. He was freaking out inside. Staying crouched down, he stayed by Amu's side and made sure that he was touching her while growling and hissing at the men in the room.

"Now, now, this isn't the welcome I was expecting."

"Tadase."

Hearing Amu utter his name did not make Ikuto calm down. This was bad. If that man was back then he may have figured out that Midnight was indeed the king. Ikuto focused his eyes on the blond man before them.

"You can let go of me. This is my home."

Tadase nodded and the man holding Amu's arm let her go, but didn't move away from her. "I'm sorry about that, Amu. Things have changed since we last talked."

"That was what, yesterday? How much could things have changed?"

Smirking in a disgusting way, Tadase took a step towards the pinkette. One growl from Ikuto made him stop. "Call off your panther, Amu. I'm not here to harm you. I simply came to inform you. I know how you live alone out here with no way to get information on what is happening in the castle. There was an attempt on the advisors. I'm the only one that survived and the court decided to grant me the power to rule the kingdom on my own to catch whoever was behind the attack."

Amu's eyes widened ever so slightly. "So they made you the temporary king?"

His smirk did not diminish at all. "I plan to make it longer than temporary. Plans have been set into motion to make sure that King Ikuto never breaks the curse he is under. We do not want him to return. If I can convince them that this is the only way to guarantee this, then the court will crown me king."

The young girl looked around her small hut at the several large men. They looked menacing and not at all like guards for a king should look like. "Get to the point, Tadase. Why are you here telling this to me?"

Taking a step forward caused Ikuto to growl again. This time Amu ran her hand down his back so that he'd calm down just a little. Her leg was pressing into him, however, so he knew that she was still a little frightened. "Animals such as him do not make good pets. You'd do well to get rid of the damn thing."

"Answer the question."

With a heave of a sigh, Tadase rolled his eyes before staring straight into her honey golden ones. "When I am king, I'll need a queen. I want you to be that queen, Amu."

Expecting her to be happy, Tadase waited for her to smile and be excited. That never happened. Amu just stared at him like he was an idiot. "Why would you ever think that I'd make a good queen? I live alone in a forest! I'd be the worst person to ever be queen. Ask some princess from some other land."

Red eyes hardened. "You will be my queen. You will do it if you want to see your father again."

Ikuto growled once more at this and Tadase turned a puzzled look on him. Amu tried to cover up how smart he was by explaining. "He doesn't like that you're yelling at me. I gave you my answer."

"I suggest you rethink it. I was going to stay for dinner, but you obviously don't have anything worthy for the new king. Soon enough that will change. I will be seeing you soon, Amu."

The pinkette moved out of the doorway so that all the men in her house could pass by and leave. She really needed to think about moving. Too many people were able to find her little sanctuary. The only reason that Tadase knew about it was due to the fact that they had been friends when they were younger. Her father and Tadase's father were friends, causing the two to know one another as they grew up. Soon enough, Tadase went away for school and came back a different man that Amu had known. She did not like this new Tadase. Not that she cared for the old one so much anyhow.

Having been exhausted before the encounter with the people in her home, Amu was ready to collapse. There was work to be done, however, so she couldn't do that just yet. With sluggish movements, the young girl completed all of her tasks and collapsed in her bed.

Ikuto had sat and watched as she went about her work. He was tired as well, but he couldn't help but wish that he could help his owner get things done and get to bed. If she didn't hurry and fall asleep, then she'd discover his little secret. The sky had been dark for a while now and Ikuto was worried that he was suddenly going to turn into a naked man on her floor while the pinkette was still awake.

The big cat didn't know what he'd do if that happened. That would be one hard explanation that he'd have to give. Granted, he hadn't really seen anything nor done anything too perverted yet so Amu couldn't possible get angry because of that, but the man turned cat felt like he was lying to her. The girl deserved better than that and he had half a mind to wake her up and explain everything. The thought of her making him leave convinced him not to. Ikuto was willing to keep the secret from her if it meant that he could stay. For the first time in his life he found someone that he wanted to be with, not because they were powerful or had something he wanted, but because he actually liked her. She was caring and just all around fantastic.

"Midnight, let's go to bed."

Ikuto heaved himself up from his spot on the floor and jumped up onto her bed. While purring, he nuzzled her face and made her laugh. On a whim, she kissed his nose and it shocked him. He stared down at her and wished with everything he had that he was human in that moment so that he could kiss her back. Alas, the large cat had to settle for giving her a gentle lick on her cheek.

Amu only laughed before hugging the panther and settling down to sleep. Never had she more grateful to have not been alone. If Midnight hadn't been there with her, Amu was certain that Tadase would have made her go back with him then and there. The protective big cat had saved her from that unwanted fate. Knowing that Midnight could understand her, Amu let him know exactly how grateful she was. "Midnight? Thanks for being here tonight. I was so afraid. You gave me the strength to deny him."

Ikuto's purring only grew louder at her words. He nuzzled into her neck with her nose and just let her hold him. A few tears leaked out of her eyes but Ikuto caught them with his nose. Not five minutes later she was fast asleep. Ikuto was grateful for that considering not three minutes after that he changed into his human form. Unlike the night before, Ikuto wasn't worried about her waking up. If it happened then it happened. He just wanted to hold her.

This feeling was so strange to him. Having the perspective of people serving him because he ought to be served and going to helping her get food and having to earn what he got to eat, changed the cat-man. Knowing that she was feeding him and helping him learn what he needed to learn just because she cared about his life, despite the fact that he was just a beast, made Ikuto realize how different she was from everyone else. He liked her.

Without a care in the world, he wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her close to his chest. Unable to keep his eyes open, Ikuto drifted off to sleep while puzzling over these new feelings.

XXX

"What is this?"

Ikuto's eyes popped open and his head came up to look for the girl that had been beside him during the night. The light in the hut told him that he was safe from her finding out his secret. Looking around for the girl that had spoken, the panther man found her already out of bed and cooking breakfast. Apparently, a mouse had made its way into her hut and was looking for food. Not wanting to be bothered by the small animal, Ikuto let his eyes drift back closed.

Amu on the other hand watched the tiny animal with fascination as it scurried around her floor in search of food, completely ignoring the fact that a human and a panther knew about its presence. "Well little guy, are you really that hungry?"

Feeling as if she couldn't possibly let the little thing starve to death, Amu grabbed some berries from her basket and rolled a couple to the mouse. It stuffed them into its cheeks before scampering under the door and disappeared. The girl could only laugh. "Now that is eating on the run. Come on Midnight, time to get up and get to work. We've got stuff to do today."

Letting out a low growl, Ikuto kept his eyes firmly shut while not moving an inch from his spot on the bed. Amu giggled as she moved towards the cat. Ikuto heard her coming even though she was almost deadly silent. Right as he knew she was crouching and getting ready to get him, he swiped out one of his big paws and pulled her back into the bed.

Amu laughed as she was pinned down and Midnight's head snuggled up to her shoulder and neck as if to say that instead of him getting up, she could come down. "Midnight! Midnight stop it! That tickles!"

The panther only purred louder until Amu stopped struggling and began scratching him behind his ears. Ikuto thought that was bliss until her skilled fingers found their way to scratching just under his chin. Yep, he died and went to heaven. She was definitely an angel sent form above.

"Alright Kitty-kitty, time for us to get to work. It won't be as hard as it was yesterday. We just have to check the snares and catch some game for supper."

Ikuto reluctantly let his prisoner go and jumped down from the bed. Pushing with his front paws, he pushed his tail into the air to stretch his body. He did the same thing in reverse next. Pushing with his back paws, Ikuto raised his head high into the air. Amu smiled as she watched the big cat get ready for the day. He had it so easy. She suspected that it was easier being a cat that it was a human.

Despite how good it felt to stretch, Ikuto wished he was back in his human form. Things were much easier when you were human. You could talk and eat with hands and use an actual bathroom. Not to mention the ability to kiss a beautiful girl as she was falling asleep. Being human definitely had its perks.

"I have to go into town today. You can't come with me. If the villagers see you then they might try to kill you. You'll have to stay in the forest and wait for me to come back."

Ikuto kept his eyes on hers and hoped that she could see how unhappy he was about hearing that.

.

Morg: Yeah for this chapter!

Ikuto: Sure thing.

Amu: Whatever.

Shrimpy: Be more excited!

Morg: Hey! You did make it!

Ikuto: Great, just great.

Amu: Hey! I'm not the only short one now!

Shrimpy: Can it, Amu.

Morg: Okay, well review I guess.

Shrimpy: ^.^ if you want to find out more then you definitely should!


	4. Chapter 4

Morg: Heyo!

Shrimpy: Another one 0.o

Ikuto: She mentioned something about a special treat.

Amu: You were listening?

Morg: Yep! Yep! Two chapters in one day! WHOOO!

Shrimpy: Yeah!

Ikuto: Don't be that excited.

Amu: We aren't.

Shrimpy: We don't own anything!

Morg: Except ourselves!

Ikuto: That's strange, I own Amu.

Amu: We've been over this! You do not!

Shrimpy: He kind of does.

Morg: Yep.

Ikuto: See!

Amu: NO!

**~Human by Night~**

'Stay here', she says. And there he stays. Ikuto felt like a well-trained puppy. For the first time since they met several days ago, they weren't together. He didn't like it one bit. How was he supposed to protect the damn girl if she left him?

'Won't be long', she said. How long was not long? An hour? Ten minutes? Well he was going on two hours of waiting. Two hours that felt like an eternity. He wasn't exactly that far away from the village. He could smell the people. Amu told him to wait in the trees and she asked him to stay at least this far away. He wasn't about to argue with the girl that helped him get his food.

This didn't mean that she wasn't taking too long. The first hour had been spent laying lazily in the shade. The second hour had been spent with him sitting there staring in the direction of the village. Every once in a while a loud sound would drift through the trees to him. Never having been to a village, the noises puzzled Ikuto. All kinds of horrible things were running through his mind. Something had to have happened to her.

"Midnight! Time to go!"

No way was he letting her off easy for the scare that she'd just given him. No way in hell! Ikuto made sure to keep in front of her and not look at her at all.

Amu found his behavior amusing. Without actually being able to ask him she could never know for sure, but she got this feeling that he was angry about waiting so long. The pinkette knew that she was going to have to make it up to him somehow. "Want to know what I got in town today?"

Ikuto kept his eyes forward but he couldn't help twitching his tail. He was curious.

Amu pulled the bag from her shoulder and let it hit the ground, letting him know that she had stopped walking. Ikuto also stopped but did not turn back. "I got this for you."

This time he had to turn away, doesn't mean that he looked at her right away. When he finally did his eyes were drawn to the object that Amu was holding. It was a collar. A nice black leather collar. There were two metal loops on it that looked as though something could be hooked to it.

Amu smiled as she saw his tail swish back and forth as the big cat stared at his present. "You're going to be helping me out if you want to stay. I'm going to make you a harness so you can help me carry stuff. Plus, with this collar I can take you into town with me next time. I'll just have to make a leash for you."

Ikuto didn't like the idea of a collar and leash but if it got him into that damn town then he'd do it. The trick would be keeping it on at night. The leather strap looked too big to fit him while he was human. Maybe she'd take it off at night.

Ikuto decided to cross that bridge when he got to it. For now he let his 'owner' place the collar around his neck and hook it so it stayed on but wasn't too tight.

"Don't you look handsome? I knew black would look great with your dark blue fur."

Being the king meant that he had all kinds of jewels and beautiful things to wear. Nothing ever made him feel as good as he did with her looking at him so proudly. A single strap of leather made him puff out his chest and look around regally. This also caused Amu to laugh. A sound that he was coming to like more and more. There was no denying it now. She was definitely special and important to him. Keeping his secret was eating him up inside.

"Come on handsome kitty, we've got other stuff to do as well. I had to trade our rabbits for that collar. If you want to eat then we'll have to get hunting."

Amu was pleased when he walked beside her this time. She made sure to run her hands down his back as they moved through the trees. Every once in a while she felt him bump her leg. The pinkette couldn't think back to a time when this wasn't normal to her. She didn't want to. While she was alone she thought that she was perfectly happy. Things had been better when her dad was around, but once he was taken away, she had been determined to be happy without him there as well. Now that she had Midnight, she realized just how miserable she'd been. Thank the stars that she hadn't killed him when she'd first seen him.

This time, Ikuto was the one to bring down the rabbits. The moment he smelled one, he went after it and most of the time he brought it back to Amu. He was definitely trying his hardest to please her. For the first time in his life he was doing something for someone else. He was putting her before himself and he felt amazing. Tired, sweaty and hungry but amazing. If he ever broke the curse then he was going to have to continue this way of living.

Supper was good and they had the evening to just relax. Amu sat in her doorway, leaning against her pet panther as she watched the forest around them grow dark. The almost twenty year old girl was content to be where she was. There was no need for castles or fancy things. Just good company and she had it purring against her back.

"Midnight, I'd make a horrible queen, wouldn't I?"

Ikuto wished he could answer her as himself. As a panther all he could do was lick her cheek. As a man he'd explain to her how wrong she was. Amu would make an amazing queen. Caring about everyone was important. Ikuto was only just beginning to learn this, but she'd known from the start. She could probably rule the country better than anyone.

She scratched behind his ears before she got up. "Thanks Midnight. Let's go to bed."

Following her like he had the past few nights; Ikuto hoped up onto the bed and settled down. He allowed Amu to curl up next to him and use him to snuggle with. He quite enjoyed sleeping this way, especially after he turned back into a human and could hold her back. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that this bliss could only last so long. He just prayed that it'd be later rather than sooner.

Amu curled her hands into his hair and let the feeling of his even breathing lull her off to sleep. Ikuto sighed once as a cat and then again a moment later as a human. The girl beside him was fast asleep but clutching onto his arm with a death grip. He hadn't planned on it, but now there was no way that he'd be able to get during the night without waking her. He turned his body to face the sleeping girl the best he could without waking her. With his free hand, he touched her face for the first time.

His thumb ran a path from between her eyes down her nose and onto her lips. From there his fingers brushed along her jaw bone. He tucked a few strands of loose hair behind her ear and watched her breathe for a few minutes. The feelings inside him didn't make sense. He relied on her; there was no way that he liked her. Even I his mind, Ikuto knew that he was lying. Who was he trying to kid, the girl was amazing. She was everything that he wasn't and he wanted her to be his.

The words from the witch chose that moment to run through his mind. _Become a king worthy of love…A beast until true love breaks._ For the first time since he was cursed, Ikuto spoke. "Amu," he whispered. "Help me break this curse."

The sleeping girl shifted in her sleep. She moaned as she rolled and her hand released him to rub her eyes. What she did next shocked him to no end. She spoke in her sleep. "King… Ikuto."

For a dreadful moment he was afraid that she was awake and knew that he was there. Then he realized that she was dreaming about him. Not in his panther form but in his human form. He didn't know which was worse. Her finding him here, a slightly changed man, or her dreaming about the man he used to be. Personally, he didn't want either at the moment but there was no controlling what she dreamed about. If he could, he'd make her dream only good dreams.

Thinking he was in the clear, Ikuto settled down to go to sleep. Suddenly the girl beside him bolted upright with a shout. "Father! Ikuto! No!"

The blue haired man had to roll off the bed so that she wouldn't see him. Not knowing whether or not Amu was actually awake, Ikuto lay on the floor out of her view.

"Mid-midnight? Where did you go? Come here Kitty-kitty."

Ikuto cursed whatever gods had put him in this situation. He wanted nothing more than to be the damn panther at the moment so that he could go snuggle with her. She needed someone to hold her, especially after waking up the way she did. Ikuto almost got up. He almost revealed himself to her. He didn't. His fear of what she'd say after finding out the truth was too great. It kept him frozen in his spot on the floor. Several minutes later he could hear her breathing slow back down so he peeked up at her. Her eyes were closed so he got up.

Ikuto walked across the room towards the window to look out at the night. He knew that it was nowhere close to being morning, but one could hope. Standing there for no more than a few seconds, Ikuto heard Amu stir behind him. He was afraid that she wasn't completely asleep and without a better idea, he jumped through the glassless window. Head first he rolled out onto the ground. His body hurt from the spur of the moment head dive, but the worst part was being naked. A few rocks had grazed his hands and arms. He was pretty sure there was a cut along his arm, but Ikuto didn't care. He was the one that had jumped. There was no one to blame except himself.

That was twice in one night that he was almost caught. There would come a time when she did catch him and he'd have to explain everything to her, but for now he knew that she didn't know. He much appreciated that fact.

Having nothing better to do with the night and already being outside, Ikuto decided to go for a walk. Sure he was naked, but there wasn't anyone in the forest beside him and Amu. Maybe he'd even chance upon some game to bring back for her.

XXX

The sun's rays woke Amu much like they did every morning. The space on the bed beside her was still empty. So Midnight never came back the night before. She wandered where he could have gone.

There was no reason for the girl to waste her time lying in bed so she got up to see if she could find her panther. He wasn't inside the hut so Amu opened the door to see if he was outside. On her doorstep sat three rabbits. They weren't small or scraggly either. They were nice big rabbits. Off a little ways from her hut sat Midnight. He was in the shade and he was licking his paws.

Amu set to work on the rabbits and cleaned them so that they could eat them. "Good work, Midnight! You saved us some time this morning."

The big cat only looked at her as she finished her task. Amu wondered why he was keeping his distance, but it wasn't a big enough deal for her to call him over. He was still within eye sight.

Ikuto was keeping his distance on purpose. Hunting rabbits as a human had been rather difficult. He'd had to chase after them until he ran them out and then wring their necks. It was a gruesome chore but he did it for her. Then after he turned back into his day form, he'd bitten their necks so it looked like a panther had killed them. Unfortunately, during his hunting trip, he'd twisted his ankle. When he walked he limped and he didn't want her to see it. There was no point in making her worry over something that was definitely not a big deal. He'd just spend his time in the shade where he was and if he needed to get up for any reason then he'd make sure that he wasn't limping so that she wouldn't find out.

Amu didn't have to go anywhere now that Midnight had brought home some rabbits for her. She had enough of everything else so she was planning on spending the day making the harness that she was going to make Midnight wear to help her carry her loads when they did go out.

Midnight stayed in the same spot the entire day and watched her work. He didn't once get up. Not even when she called him to eat lunch. She became more and more concerned as the day went on. It wasn't a good sign for him to be so far away from her. Not only had she woken up without him next to her but now he wasn't even sitting beside her.

"Midnight come here. What's wrong with you today? You're being so weird."

Ikuto knew that he didn't have a choice now. He had to go see her. She was already worried. Getting to his feet made him wince. Walking on his sore foot made his leg give out and he limped. The one thing he didn't want to do in front of her, he did.

"Midnight! Are you okay?"

Somehow, Ikuto found the strength to walk all the over to her and collapse beside her. Amu's fingers instantly went to work feeling his sore leg from his hip to the pads of his paws. When they ghosted over his ankle joint, he let out slight whine. It hurt even though she hadn't really put any pressure on it.

"So you hurt your leg. Is that why you spent the entire day over there? Silly kitty, you need to walk on it if it's a sprain so that it doesn't swell up. Too late for that. Keep relaxing. We'll make sure you stay on it tomorrow."

Ikuto was grateful when she didn't make him get up again. He knew that it was going to hurt him once again when he switched forms in the night, but he was ready to make it feel better. Damn his leg. This injury was going to slow him down. Granted he didn't really need it for anything important besides going with Amu.

"Don't worry Midnight; I'll take great care of you."

.

Morg: Aw! Amu loves you!

Ikuto: Who doesn't?

Amu: I do not.

Shirmpy: Yes you do.

Morg: Review!

Ikuto: Review.

Shrimpy: Review ;D

Amu: Don't.


	5. Chapter 5

Morg: Heyo! So I can't believe I left this story where I did! I promise to make it up to you guys with a nice long chapter!

Shrimpy: Aww yeah!

Ikuto: Well aren't you just the greatest.

Amu: Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Ikuto.

Morg: You either, Amu. Anyways!

Shrimpy: Enjoy the chapter!

Ikuto: Morg and that short girl don't own anything.

Amu: Definitely too poor.

**~Human by Night~**

Being the big cat that he was, Midnight was too big for Amu to force to stand. She attempted to push on his hindquarters for at least twenty minutes with him just staring at her over his shoulder. Like he was asking her what she was doing with his eyes. Amu didn't know what to do. Obviously he wasn't listening to her. She'd promised to take care of him the night before when she found out that his foot was hurting him, but Midnight was refusing to get up and use the sore appendage.

Ikuto didn't know what to think. He couldn't straight out tell her that he spent a good majority of the night stretching his hurting ankle and walking around on it only to limp and be sore. He wasn't going to put himself through that pain throughout the entire day as well. No way in hell.

"Come on, Midnight! The best way to make it better is to use it! Trust me!"

Ikuto stared at her for a little bit longer before he finally pulled himself up onto his feet. He stood with his paw slightly off the ground so that there was absolutely no pressure on it. Amu smiled at his movements and tried to give his rump a little shove to get him walking. Ikuto just stood there.

Amu let out a frustrated breath while she ran her hand through her pink hair. Time to pull out all the stops. "Fine, you can stay here by yourself while I go into town without you."

That caught his attention. Sure he was limping but that didn't mean he was any less of a threat. The man was still a big cat, a panther to boot. He could protect her no matter what.

Amu laughed as her delightful pet cocked his head to the side and gave her a 'what are we waiting for' look. "Alright! I knew that'd get your attention. I don't really need anything from town but you need to walk and I know you want to go."

Ikuto couldn't disagree with that statement. He wanted to know how his people lived. If he still had the right to call them his people. Limping all the way, Ikuto found that it was getting a little easier to use his hurt paw. Amu had been right about him needing to use it. By the time they reached the outskirts of the small town, Ikuto was barely limping. Amu had grabbed some rope before they headed out. Standing there, hidden in the trees, she tied the rope to the loops on his collar so it formed a leash.

Ikuto gave her another look but Amu only patted his head. "I don't like putting it on you either, but they villagers won't like you until they get to know you. Just be a super good kitty and they'll fall in love with you soon enough."

Doubt filled the large cat's mind, but Ikuto did his best not to let his little master realize it. There was no way that the villagers would be okay with him no matter how much they loved Amu. They could've known her from the day she was born and it wouldn't make a difference. If Ikuto thought that them accepting him as a panther was going to be difficult then he didn't want to think about how Amu was going to react once she found out about him being human. She was a strange girl and though he'd been able to keep it a secret from her so far, it was only a matter of time until she found out. Ikuto wasn't an idiot; he knew that eventually she'd find out.

Amu tugged the big cat into the bustle of the little village. There wasn't much going on, but people stopped to stare at her as she walked Ikuto through the streets. Not that either the cat or the girl could blame them for stopping in their tracks to take in the strange sight of a young girl walking a pet panther. Some even nudged their friends or random strangers to point out the bizarre sight.

Things were going fairly well until a sneer was heard from across the square. "Amu, long time no see. What brings you here?"

Amu froze, causing the rope to become taunt and for Midnight to tense up beside her as well. Slowly, the pinkette turned to face the man calling out to her. Tadase exited a carriage sitting near a storefront. Amu didn't know why he was there, but she really wished he wasn't. Feeling Midnight tense up beside her helped her deal with her anxiety a little. At least she wasn't alone. She had him. "Tadase."

"That's not an answer to my question, Amu."

Damn that man and his smirk. Ikuto barely bared his teeth and let out a low growl before Amu began to pet him, causing him to relax but not that much. His body was still ready for anything. Even with a sore foot, Ikuto planned on protecting Amu from whatever the blond tried.

Amu let her attempts to calm Midnight calm herself. Her plan was sort of working. Feeling his soft fur under her fingers allowed Amu to remember that she wasn't dealing with the temporary ruler of her country alone. "I came to introduce Midnight to the villagers. Although I've had him since he was just a cub, I've refrained from bringing him here. I figured it was time."

Tadase smirked; he let the girl have her delusions. Soon enough she'd be his. "How nice of you. Have you made up your mind yet? Your father is waiting."

Taking a deep breath to calm herself further, Amu put on her best mask and tried to hide her emotions behind it. "I cannot do what you ask. I know that my father would not want me to trade my freedom for his."

Scoffing in her face, Tadase smirked before getting even closer. "You will be mine, Amu. Even if I can't make you see that right now. I will. Just as I made sure that everyone else saw me as the only possible leader of this country. Even if Ikuto returned now, they wouldn't accept him back onto the throne. His rule is over."

Amu felt her cheeks heat up as she stood toe to toe with the infuriating man. "You think that, do you? At least _King_ Ikuto was unfair to everyone! Now the poor are even poorer and are starving while the rich just seem to get richer. _King_ Ikuto would never have let that happen. Everyone was the same in his eyes."

Being that he was standing beside her, Ikuto cocked his head to the side and swished his tail. He found it curious that Amu would stick up for him and emphasize his title that way. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad for her to discover his secret.

Tadase balled his fists up before relaxing and moving himself slightly away from the situation by taking a step back. "Say what you want. I'm the king now and what I say is law."

Amu let a small smile grace her face. "So what is the new ruler doing such a small village?"

Scoffing as if it was his favorite thing to do, Tadase waved his hand carelessly as he strode back towards his waiting carriage. "I had things to attend to."

With a disbelieving look, Amu watched the arrogant man disappear into his rich mode of transportation and disappear leaving only a cloud of dust from the wheels and the horse's hooves. "Well, at least he's gone now."

Ikuto didn't like this one bit. If there was one person that could ruin everything, as if things were bad enough for the once King anyways, then it would be Tadase. The man was cunning and he knew how to get what he wanted. Ikuto knew that he was going to have to be on his guard if he was going to protect the pinkette from whatever schemes were being cooked inside that Kiddy King's head.

Amu tried to shake off the encounter by tugging on Ikuto's leash and leading him over to a store. The building was huge and Amu entered without a second thought with Midnight right behind her. The air inside was stifling hot and there was an odd metal clanking coming from somewhere in shack. "Kukai, are you too busy to meet my new friend?"

The clanging stopped and Ikuto tensed up as a figure moved towards them through the poorly lit store. "Sure thing there, Hinamori! Who've you brought for me to meet?"

Amu smiled at the man as he entered their sight. Ikuto took a second to really look the man she referred to as Kukai over. He was covered with dirt and sweat and something else from the tips of his spiky brown hair all the way down his powerfully built body to where his shoes sat upon his feet. "This is Midnight. He's the reason that I bought that collar from you the other day."

Kukai nodded as he wiped his hands on a towel that was too dirty to do anything but smear his grease around on his skin. "So he's a panther. You didn't mention that, but I figured he had to be large considering the size you requested the collar be. Looks good on him."

Ikuto decided to make sure the man was alright. He didn't tense up as the panther neared him, which Ikuto found both annoying and pleasant at the same time. He'd rather the man not be afraid of him if they were to be around each other in the future, but he had to make sure that Amu was safe before anything else. Deciding that he could in fact trust the man with so much energy, Ikuto returned to Amu's side and rubbed his head against her leg.

Amu laughed as she gave Midnight's ears a good scratch before smiling up at Kukai. "I think he's beautiful and he's so cuddly. Nothing like what I thought a panther would be like."

Kukai nodded with his own grin firmly in place. "He seems tame enough. How many other people have you shown him to?"

"Well, Tadase knows about him but that wasn't by my choice. So just you."

One of the brown eyebrows shot up to disappear into the black smith's hair. "Just me? You better show Hoshina before she throws a fit. I'm glad you found someone to keep you company in those woods of yours. My offer to let you move in with me still stands. I know it would cause a bit of scandal but it's not as if we'd actually be doing what people are saying we'd be doing."

Though he sort of talked himself into a confusing circle, Amu was following what he was saying. "That's because you're a great guy, Kukai, but I'm happy living in my woods. I have few people to disturb my peace and I do have Midnight. I'm glad that he's here with me."

Kukai just shrugged his shoulders and left the girl with her decision. "Like I said, you better show Hoshina. Besides, I've got work to get back to. Those horses won't shoe themselves!"

Amu nodded before turning and pulling Midnight out of the forge and heading for the store just down the street. The pinkette was lucky that she had such accepting friends. She found Hoshina moving some of her stores to a more secure location. Amu cleared her throat as to not scare her friend. "Hey Utau, I brought someone for you to meet."

The blonde turned around in a hurry, expecting to come face to face with a devilishly handsome man. Instead she found a very handsome panther standing besides her friend. "Amu, why do you have a pet panther?"

Laughing, the pinkette tugged her panther farther into the shop. "I decided not to kill him so now he lives with me. What do you think? You can pet him if you want."

Utau's first urge was to dig her fingers into Ikuto's soft fur. Then she commented on how soft it was before walking around him once. "He looks so powerful. How was it that you captured him?"

Amu was thankful that her friend listened silently as she relayed the entire story to her best friend. "So I'm teaching him how to hunt and he's getting quite good at it. I'm just worried that he'll realize that he doesn't need me anymore and leave. I don't want to be alone again and he 's the perfect company."

If words could come out of his mouth, Ikuto would have reassured the girl that was his master that he wasn't going anywhere. There was no where else that he wanted to be. Several gossiping stories later, Amu and Ikuto exited the store and headed back towards the woods. Ikuto had had fun looking around the small town, considering that he'd never been in one before. The man was barely allowed to leave his castle. He found it interesting to see how his people actually lived. Amu hadn't been lying when she'd said that things were tough for the poorest of the population. People were definitely struggling, but Ikuto was happy to at least be able to say that he wasn't the cause. The wrong was still his to correct thought.

Later that night as they snuggled together in the bed, the soon to be man began pondering over what he'd seen and heard that day. He was going to have to do something about it, but there was little to be done while he was stuck as a panther.

Amu was successfully distracting herself from the decision she'd made earlier that day regarding her father and Tadase by running her hands down Midnight's back over and over again. His fur was just so soft. She sighed as she let her eyes flutter closed though she didn't stop her movements.

Ikuto began worrying a little about his secret when he knew midnight was approaching and she was still awake. His worries were relieved when she finally dropped into the world of dreams. He only had to wait another ten minutes or so before he became human. Ever since he'd run his fingers over her face, the actions had become a nightly ritual. He couldn't' help but feel her.

Without warning, Amu's eyes flew open and she stared straight into shocked dark blue eyes. "W-what? Who are you?"

Ikuto scrambled backwards with a shout before falling off the bed. His back thumped against the floor and he'd managed to pull a few of the blankets with him so his naked body could stay covered. "A-Amu."

The pinkette sat up on her bed and readied herself in case the stranger attacked her. Her eyes never backed down as he stood up and tightened his hold on the blankets around him. That's when Amu noticed two things. One, this man was naked. Two, he looked oddly familiar. "King Ikuto?"

.

Morg: I'm a bad, bad person.

Shrimpy: I can't believe you!

Ikuto: About time she found out my secret. This is rated M.

Amu: Oh shit.

Morg: Hehehehehe!

Shrimpy: Time for the good stuff!

Ikuto: Hell yeah! Review!

Amu: Don't you readers do any such thing! I won't stand for this!


	6. Chapter 6

Morg: Heyo! I thought I was bad for leaving you guys hanging before this last chapter.

Shrimpy: You are bad!

Ikuto: Horrible!

Amu: I don't mind.

Morg: I'll make it up to you right now though.

Shrimpy: :D

Ikuto: Lemon!

Amu: She doesn't own me so there is no way that's happening!

Morg: I was just thinking that I'd do my best to make this chapter longer.

Shrimpy: I like Ikuto's idea.

Ikuto: That short girl is the one that told you to write this Morg, listen to her.

Amu: Don't do it!

**~Human by Night~**

His body was frozen in place, just waiting as the girl he'd been living with for the past few days stared at him. Any sort of reaction that he thought she might have had after calling out his name kept him frozen as she just stared at him sleepily. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

Amu blinked a few more times before she flopped back down on her bed and brought her hands to her face. Rubbing her eyes, she groaned. "Not this dream again. Why do I always dream about you this way?"

Stunned, Ikuto watched as she sat back up with an annoyed yet sleepy look on her face. His hand tightened around the sheets he was holding to cover himself as she just once again stared at him. Then what she said clicked in his mind. "What do you mean 'not this dream again'? You dream about me?"

Amu let out a heavy sigh as though everything they were talking about was just exasperating for her to even be apart of. "Me and every other girl in this world. Who wouldn't dream of an extremely good looking king reforming and claiming a queen? Although, Utau says she's fine with you still being a dick because you're that hot."

Ikuto allowed for one of his eyebrows to slowly rise up his forehead and disappear into his dark locks. "Amu, this is not a dream."

The pinkette stared at the man before her before she flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes. They shot open and she bolted up onto her knees. "YOU! YOU AREN'T A DREAM! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? W-why are you naked?"

Letting out a sigh of his own, Ikuto moved further back from the bed and leaned back against the wall, making sure to keep his grip on his sheets. "You saved my life, Amu. I must repay you."

Falling back to sit on her heels, Amu tried to figure out what he was talking about. "I didn't…"

"The reason I'm naked is because I was placed under a curse. During the day, I'm a panther. At night, I'm a man."

She couldn't argue with the fact that he was indeed a man as he stood before her with his chest bare. How could she not mistake him from being in one of her dreams? She had them often enough. "You're Midnight?"

Ikuto nodded his head, but kept his distance. "I can see the doubt in your eyes but all you have to do is wait until sunrise. There is a reason that you sometimes wake in the night to find the big cat gone. That's part of the reason I twisted my ankle."

Eyes drifted down his scantily clad body to where his ankle did show signs of being slightly injured. It was slightly swollen and there was some discoloration from a bruise, but it was healing. "I see. You have a lot of explaining to do."

There was no point in arguing with her. Ikuto had known that this day was coming. Throughout the nights that he'd been human and holding her in his arms, he'd thought about all the things that he'd have to tell her once she discovered his secret. "Where do you want me to start?"

It was Amu's turn to lift an eyebrow at the person before her. "The beginning."

Ikuto let out a sigh before pushing off the wall and moving towards the pinkette who instantly tensed up by his actions. "It's a long story. I don't particularly want to stand for all of it."

Amu shook her head and pointed back towards the floor. "King or no king, my house my rules. No naked men in my bed without my permission."

"Can I at least have another blanket? The floor isn't exactly warm." Amu's response was to chuck another blanket at his head. The fabric cascaded down around him so that it covered him from her view completely. Ikuto used that chance to readjust his covers and get settled before he pulled the blanket down around his shoulders. "The very beginning you know, I was a horrible ruler. Cruel to everyone and anyone. One word said against me would land anyone in jail or dead. Never in all my reign did I suspect that I'd be usurped. Then one night during a party, a man was brought before me. He had been caught steeling. I decided when I was very young that no matter the reasons, anyone that committed a crime would be punished. Somewhere along the way I lost my way. I see that now."

Amu could only watch as the man before her, who was undoubtedly her king, basically bared his soul to her. "Ikuto, you don't mind that I call you Ikuto, do you? I mean, I have been taking care of your pathetic butt for the past week or so."

Smirking up at her, Ikuto nodded his head. "It's better than Midnight."

Pouting slightly, Amu continued with what she'd been about to say to him before he'd made that low blow comment on her name choosing abilities. "You weren't the worst. Sure, a lot of people suffered, but you made sure that it was everyone. You saw the people in the village earlier today. Now it is the poor that suffer on their own while the rich only get richer."

Ikuto nodded his head. "Yes, but what am I to do about that now? I'm a man only at night. I cannot simply rule the kingdom by night alone and be a panther during the day. You know how bad I am at being one."

Amu snorted. "That's an understatement. How did you survive before I found you?"

Ikuto scratched the back of his head in an almost sheepish manner. "You found me on my first day. I am a very lucky, besides the curse part, man."

Giggling a little at his admission, Amu nodded her head. "Continue on with your story."

Thinking back to where he was, Ikuto let out another sigh before diving right back in. "I sentenced him for his crime and the festivities continued. I grew bored of the dancing and the laughing since I couldn't participate in any of it and stood to leave. Upon my movements, everyone bowed, as required when I move amongst my subjects. All but one old woman. I let my anger and frustration get the better of me and I yelled at her to bow before me. She couldn't do it. Instead of being understanding, I called for my guards. Before my eyes, the old woman turned young and placed a curse on me."

Amu listened carefully as Ikuto recited the curse and explained what happened afterwards. Since he had believed it to all be nonsense, Ikuto had been quite shocked to find out that he was indeed a panther the following morning and had been chased out of his castle. She laughed a little upon hearing how Ikuto had failed at doing a simple task as drinking water. Not that she was surprised.

As he was drawing towards the end of his story, Ikuto tried to figure out what to say to make her understand that she was important to him now. "I don't deserve for you to believe me, but spending time with you has changed me. Never in my life have I had to do something for myself. But for you, I chased and killed rabbits in my human form. As a panther, albeit I'm probably not much help, I'd fight for you. You, Amu, because you are the first person in all my life to treat me as a normal human." The look she sent him made Ikuto grimace. "Well, sort of. Even as a panther, you showed me more compassion than anyone I've ever known. Do you remember the night that Tadase came here and asked you to trade your freedom for your father's? You asked yourself if you would make a good queen. I wanted to answer you so badly. You wouldn't make a good queen, but a great queen. You know how to be fair and commanding at the same time."

Her face filled with a deep blush as the naked king before her praised her. "I can't seem to believe what you just told me. Not about being under a curse or you being a panther during the day, but the part about me being a great queen. I live in the forest so that I don't have to be around others."

Ikuto chuckled at her admission. "The palace isn't much different. It never took much for me to not see someone throughout the entire day. You are alone while surrounded by many."

Amu shook her pink hair as she disagreed with him. "I still cannot see myself being a good queen. That is beside the point at the moment. What are we going to do about your curse?"

"The curse is not what is important at the moment. We must stop Tadase and bring order back to the kingdom. I may not be the best king, but I'm still young and I'm learning quickly now that I have left my palace. Tomorrow, I would like you to travel with me a little. Take me to other villages so that I can see what life is like for all of my people. Even the rich."

Clamping her hands together to try and dispel off some of her worry so that Ikuto wouldn't see it, Amu tried to figure out a way to bring up what was bothering her. "You said that you had until your twenty first birthday to break the curse, right?"

"Yes."

"How old are you now?"

"I am halfway through my twentieth year."

With her newfound courage, Amu continued on with what she was trying to say. "Then how can you possible think that figuring out how to save the kingdom is more important. The land and the people will still be here in six months. We need to break the curse so you can take back what is rightfully yours."

A smile graced his features for the first time since she'd woken up. "Amu, I've lived my entire life by putting myself before anyone and everyone. For once, I want to do what's right for my people before I worry about my own condition. Help me with this. Together, you and I can rid the country of Tadase and free everyone from his oppressive rule. I don't remember why or how your father came to be a prisoner at the castle and I wish I could tell you that I never meant for this to happen, but as I told you before, crime was crime in my eyes. I do not remember anything about him, but I promise you that once I am back on my throne, or at least Tadase is off of it, he will be returned to you once more."

Tears began to build up in her vision. Amu wiped them quickly away and tried to focus on the man before her. "I don't want to talk about it now. I will help you as long as you keep your word."

With a smile, Ikuto got to his feet and crossed the small hut to offer Amu his hand. "I give you my word as a panther and a man."

Amu giggled at that and allowed the king to sit beside her on the bed. They talked about a number of things throughout the night and dawn brought her waiting eyes the transformation that she'd forced herself to stay awake to watch. As soon as he was back to being a panther, Amu cuddled up to him on the bed and sighed contently. Within moments she was fast asleep and Ikuto was very pleased with how their talk had gone.

.

Morg: So now she knows.

Shrimpy: Time for the good stuff!

Ikuto: We knew that she knew at the end of the last chapter! Where is the lemon?

Amu: That was surprisingly painless.

Morg: Review!

Shrimpy: For!

Ikuto: Lemons!

Amu: You guys are stupid. No one is going to do that.


	7. Chapter 7

Morg: Heyo! Let's keep on keeping on! I know it's crazy that I'm updating again, but as I said in 'Unspeakable', it's my one year anniversary so I'm giving you guys a gift!

Shrimpy: I don't think that's how it's supposed to work…

Ikuto: Fairly certain that your readers should be gifting you.

Amu: Yeah, I hate to do this, but I agree with those two.

Morg: Oh, well I'm going to update this chapter anyways.

Shrimpy: Maybe they'll gift you with reviews!

Ikuto: Only if you gift them with lemons first though.

Amu: That is so not true!

Morg: Hmmm…

Shrimpy: Just remember!

Ikuto: You don't actually own anything!

Amu: That's what I've been trying to say!

**~Human by Night~**

The first village that they visited was the only one that Ikuto had been in before. Once again on his leash, Ikuto was taken to the two places he'd been to before. Amu had told him previous to entering the town that she needed to see Kukai and Utau before she set off on her journey so that they knew why she was missing and also because it was smart to have someone know when you were going away and why you were doing it.

Both of her friends had wholeheartedly agreed with her plans to travel and bid her a safe journey. After they left them, Ikuto and Amu walked through the little village until Ikuto was content before they started on their journey to see many more places. Ikuto's tail twitched in anticipation. He couldn't wait to learn more about his country and since Amu now knew his secret, he didn't have to worry so much about trying to behave more like a panther and less like a man, though he hadn't been doing the best job of it in the first place.

Amu felt her cheeks heat up. There was no doubt in her mind that her face was a dark red color, but there was little that she could do about it at the moment. With Ikuto right beside her and his tail going crazy, she was being repeatedly hit by it. "Ikuto, please calm down."

The panther cocked his head over to give her a questioning look just as his tail swooped in to tap her again. Amu jumped a bit before taking a small step away from him. The questioning look stayed on his face as he turned more to face her. The panther king took in the embarrassed face and hoped that the girl that was traveling with him wasn't beginning to regret being beside him.

"You have to stop swishing your tail so much. You keep… hitting me… hard… on my butt."

Ikuto's head went from up and curious to down and almost embarrassed. His response made Amu giggle. She couldn't help but step forward and pat the top of his head. "Don't worry about it so much. As long as you aren't doing it on purpose then it's okay."

With a short nod of his head, Ikuto responded before pushing up off his haunches and beginning down the path they had been walking before the pause. Never had he been more thankful that his face was covered with fur and hence she could not see the blood that had rushed to his cheeks. This feeling was one that the king had never felt before. Playing with the better looking women of the court, married or not, was something that he took pride in. From simply touching her butt, without knowing, with his tail had sent him down the path of embarrassment, but at the same time his mind began to work. What other things could he get away with in his panther form that he'd never be allowed to do as a human? Cuddling in her bed was one thing for sure. When he'd turned into a human and she'd woken up, Amu had refused to even let him sit on her bed until he talked with her for a while.

His mind was quick to work up the rules to his own internal game. This trip didn't have to be so boring as they walked between towns. At least not for Ikuto the panther. As a man, however, he was going to have to be on his upmost best behavior so that Amu wouldn't cast him aside. Not that he was only pretending. The cursed king really did want to change things for the better.

Now that he was no longer hitting her, Amu watched the way her pet panther walked and the way he took in his surroundings. It was obvious to the pinkette that he was thinking about something and not really paying attention anymore. It couldn't possibly be the village that they'd just left considering that her village was one of the better ones. Moving silently like one that lived in the woods and hunted for food, Amu snuck up on her panther and unhooked his leash. They were clear of the village and most likely wouldn't meet anyone else while they walked. Even if they did come upon someone, all Ikuto and Amu had to do was hide amongst the trees and wait for the coast to be clear. That was one thing they agreed upon before they'd left; they wanted to travel without bringing attention to themselves. The less the people of Ikuto's country knew of the girl with pink hair traveling with her pet panther the better. Things were going to be tricky since they wanted to go into the villages, but Amu was certain that since they'd be sticking to the worse parts of every village, news would not travel to the rich. The last person they wanted to meet along the way was Tadase.

Now being free of his leash, Ikuto took a moment to race around and stretch out his legs. Granted he had been walking for a while, but during that while he felt like a pet on display. Now he was a wild panther again. Sort of.

Watching as Ikuto played, Amu smiled. The king was definitely comfortable around her. Granted no one else would know it was actually King Ikuto if they saw 'Midnight's' litter performance. Still, he knew that she knew who he really was and for him to still act the way he was meant that he liked her enough to relax more around her. Now that she knew the truth, she could really tell that there was no possible way that he was a real panther. Even the way he walked on four legs, albeit he was getting better at it, was a little odd. Like he didn't know what to do with the extra appendages. Amu wished she could know what it felt like to be an animal during the day. However, saying this to Ikuto was probably not the right thing to do considering he had told her it was a curse.

Seeing the serious look in her eye despite the smile that she wore, Ikuto decided that he wasn't the only one that got to play the games he was playing. One half pounce at Amu woke her from her trance and got her to actually look at him. Ikuto got down and swished his tail again.

"What are you doing?"

Ignoring her question only because he had no real way to respond, Ikuto kept his position and just waited.

Amu didn't get it. The panther that was actually a man who was in fact the king had lost his mind. He was behaving stranger than usual, which was already saying a lot. "Ikuto, I don't know what you want from me."

Watching as she turned slowly and started walking away, Ikuto wasn't about to not let her play. One more bound and he slammed his paws against her back hard enough to make Amu stumble a bit but not fall. He darted away and turned quickly to face her in the same position as before.

Amu was still confused. What did the damn cat-man-king want from her? She took a step towards him, intending to check to see if he was alright, but Ikuto darted away and then faced her again in the same stance. Then it hit her. "You want to play?"

The panther yipped a yowl before darted for her but then running away again. Amu decided that perhaps this was a game of tag and she was it. Ikuto had already tagged her. If it was a game he wanted then Amu was more than willing to teach the king how to lose to a girl.

Darting faster than Ikuto thought she could move, Amu got in his face and brushed one finger along his brow. "You're it! Catch me if you can."

Ikuto watched, stunned by the fact that she'd managed to do that so easily, as Amu leaped from being in front of him and up into a low branch over their heads. She bounded away through the trees and Ikuto had to scramble to just keep sight of her. Luckily he could smell her scent on the trees that she touched and was able to follow her path even though he couldn't always see her. Damn girl was way too fast.

If she hadn't been concentrating on what she was doing, Amu was certain that she'd be giggling up a storm and laughing harder than anyone could ever imagine. Ikuto would have been able to catch her in no time at all due to the aches in her sides, but she kept her composure. There was no way that she was going to allow that cat to get her.

XXX

That night they lay exhausted by the small fire that Amu had built. She had some clothes out and ready for Ikuto to change into as soon as he turned into his human self, but at the moment they were both too tired to do anything. Amu had kept them moving in the right direction while they played their game, causing them to cover more distance than Amu had been planning for the next few days. It was no wonder that they lay panting next to the fire.

He could feel midnight approaching. Ikuto had transformed enough times now that he could feel his body preparing for it to happen. Since he knew, he heaved his tired body up from the ground, grabbed his clothes in his mouth and trotted off into the woods.

Amu had opened her mouth to say something when he got up, but the moment he grabbed the clothes that she laid out for him, she decided not to say what she'd been about to say. Human Ikuto was going to be showing up any moment and he could talk back when she taunted him about losing their game. Panther Ikuto hadn't been able to catch her, though he did a much better job keeping up than she thought he would.

Midnight came and Ikuto felt the sparks starting to shoot across his skin. Everything tingled until he stood in his human form. Luckily, all the clothes fit so he was able to return to the campsite in his normal attire. "Man, am I tired."

A smile stole its way onto Amu's mouth and she couldn't help its presence. "Well, you did try your hardest to keep up. I suppose you deserve a good night of sleep."

One glare made Amu gulp. Something that didn't go unnoticed by the king. His glare turned into a smirk as he moved closer to the pinkette. "One word from me and your life is over."

The fact that his words were harsh but his eyes were soft sent Amu into a fit of giggles. "You still sound scary."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Oh don't get so defensive! I've been with you in both forms since you were cursed. I can tell when you're angry and when you're faking it. Right now you are a big faker!"

Ikuto sighed and sat down opposite of the fire from Amu. "I guess you've changed me. For the better or for the worse, I'll let the country decide. Don't get mad at me though, when they come knocking on your door if they don't like the changes."

Amu stuck out her tongue at the almost boyish king. He was so young, hardly older than she was and sometimes acted just like his age. Though, she'd noticed that he could have that look that said that he was used to running a country and making hard decisions. Amu was very thankful that she didn't have to deal with what he did on a daily basis. "So is it cool to be an animal or do you hate it?"

"It has its ups and downs. Sometimes it is the best thing in the world. Like today, I had so much fun using my senses and moving through the trees. It was almost like I was battling the trees. Dodging one branch could mean slamming into another. Just like battle practice at the castle, only I'm a panther and my enemies are the trees."

Amu couldn't help but laugh at that. The man had a point. There were ups and downs to everything but at least he was looking at things in a positive light, especially since his situation was not the best. "I can teach you how to fight if you want me to."

Ikuto cocked his head to the side. "In my human form I can protect you without a worry. I've been training since I was born. In my panther form I should be able to scare away people without having to fight them."

"What if that doesn't work? What will you do then?"

"Eat them."

Amu laughed again. She was really glad that she'd learned the truth because Ikuto made a wonderful companion. "What if they get you first?"

"If you really want to train me that badly then we can start tomorrow." With his eyes already closed, Ikuto began drifting towards sleep with Amu still watching him from across the fire. The girl was more petite than he, even with more clothes on. The fire wasn't going to keep burning all night so Ikuto decided to do the one thing that he promised himself he wouldn't. "If you get cold you can always just lay next to me. I won't touch you, at least not in _that_ way."

Amu stared at the man for a moment before shaking her head. "Tonight I'll stay over here, but the nights are going to continue to get colder so I may have to take you up on that offer for both of our sakes in the future. For now, let's just call it a night."

Ikuto had no trouble following Amu's suggestion since the moment he closed his eyes, he was out like a light.

.

Morg: So his training begins and I'm sure this chapter seemed like it was pointless, but you'll see in later chapters that I make everything happen for a reason!

Ikuto: Lies.

Amu: How do you know?

Morg: Anyways! Review!


	8. Chapter 8

Morg: Heyo!

Ikuto: Skip it.

Amu: She doesn't own anything!

Shrimpy: Neither do I!

**~Human by Night~**

When Ikuto had told her that she could train him, he hadn't expected it to end up like this. Though, the panther king didn't mind in the slightest. Amu was currently teaching him how to fight as a panther. How she knew what to do was beyond her student, but Ikuto listened closely and did as she instructed. At first she'd just throw stuff at him and tell him to either dodge it or swat it away. Ikuto had gotten rather good at doing that. He was quick on his feet and thus able to move about with ease.

The things that she'd thrown at him started off small and unable to really hurt if they hit him. The things she threw now, two days into the training, were ridiculous. From big rocks to sharp objects, Ikuto had to dodge in fear of his life. The worst part was she never told him whens he was going to strike, he just had to be prepared for it to happen. All the time.

His days were spent in training as they moved towards the next village and he was so exhausted at night that he quickly fell asleep. The thought that she was doing it on purpose had crossed his mind more than once. She was still sleeping opposite of the fire from him despite his assurances that he would never do something that she didn't like. Amu would just smile at that though, and shake her head.

Today, however, the training was different. Amu wasn't throwing things at him. She was teaching him close combat. Again, how she knew anything about this, Ikuto wasn't sure. He'd have to ask her once he became a man that night. For now he needed to concentrate on the pinkette that was about to tackle him to the ground for not the first time that morning.

Amu smirked as she feinted left and moved right. Ikuto was getting better at reading her moves, but he still wasn't fast enough. She had his body pinned to the ground underneath her in such a way that he couldn't break free. "Come on Ikuto, I thought you'd be more of challenge than this. I suppose you really can't protect me in this form."

A low growl emitted from Ikuto's chest, but they both knew that he was just upset with himself and not about to attack Amu. Although, putting that girl in her place sounded rather good to the frustrated panther. Just once, he'd like to pin her down. Perferrably in his human form though. Then their wrestling could lead to other things.

"Don't look so pissed. I'm only teaching you. I'm not going to rub it in your face that the great King Ikuto can't even beat a girl at hand to hand combat. Well, in your case it would be hand to paw."

The growl deepened as the king was released from his hold. He was tired and sweating and extremely pissed. They'd done a little practice with branches and sticks on him biting and he really wanted to put newfound knowledge to good use, but hurting Amu was one thing he'd never do. Thus, once Ikuto was free, he sent a dirty look over his shoulder at the pinkette and scampered off for the trees. Finding a tall one, Ikuto quickly ascended to a good looking branch where he stretched out and caught his breath. Even with her amazing forestry skills, Amu would have a hard time reaching him. This gave the angry panther time to cool down so that he wouldn't do something stupid. His instincts were already screaming at him to put her in her place.

Amu watched as her companion disappeared into the trees. She let a sigh slip down from her lips before gathering up their things and taking off after him. The trek she made through the woods was slower than his, although she managed to be close enough to hear the sound of claws shredding through bark. Ikuto was climbing a tree. Having that information gave her a slight advantage, which Amu used by looking up into the treetops for the panther rather than at the ground. She'd been tracking animals long enough to be able to spot any lurking above her in the leaves.

Spot him she did. Ikuto's chest was heaving as he lay up on a high branch in a rather big tree. Of course he'd pick one that was difficult for her to climb. Amu was the one that'd made him angry in the first place. "Come on, Ikuto. Don't be like this. I was only trying to help."

The panther turned his head away.

Amu let out another sigh before she began inspecting her surroundings. No way was she going to receive the cold shoulder from some big dumb cat she was only trying to help. "You leave me no choice then."

Ikuto watched out of the corner of his eye as the young woodsy girl began climbing a smaller tree nearby. It dawned on him that she was only using the younger tree as a stepping stone to the big one his was in. Damn her and her smart brain figuring out how to reach him when he wanted to sulk.

Amu was in for quite the climb and she knew that. Ikuto wasn't going to be any help either. Though, the girl could tell that he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. That knowledge made her more confident in her climb. She knew that if she got into trouble at any point of it, he'd help her out even if he was upset with her at the moment.

The panther had to admit that she was quite skilled in climbing. Though, he hadn't expected anything less considering all the times he'd gone hunting with her. Amu knew her way through the trees and now was no exception. All too soon she was shimmying her way up onto the branch that he was on. Ikuto thought about moving somewhere else, but she looked tired from her climb and he thought it better to just ignore her.

"Alright, move over a little Ikuto. The branch is big enough for me to sit here too."

She was right. The branch was large enough for him to lay on it with her sitting comfortably between his legs and leaning against his midsection. Ikuto just didn't want to let her.

Noticing that the big cat wasn't about to move for her, Amu slipped around to the spot she wanted and pushed Ikuto a little ways back so she could sit against him comfortably without having to worry about falling.

A gasp of air slipped out of his mouth as he was shoved but Ikuto ignored it and ignored the girl that snuggled into his midsection. He also tried to ignore the way her fingers were rubbing into his fur. He also ignored the fact that he was now purring. The anger that he'd been harboring was disappearing faster than he wanted it too. All too soon he was dozing under her skilled fingers.

The sun was long gone by the time the two sleeping on the branch awoke. Amu was still warm. They must have been more exhausted than either of them had realized since when Amu woke up, she wasn't snuggling with a panther. She was wrapped in the arms of a man.

Ikuto had woken up as a panther, but Amu was still out so he let her sleep. Once the night had gotten on and Ikuto could feel his transformation coming, he'd moved so that she was leaning against him as he say with this back against the trunk of the tree. His tail had secured the sleeping girl's body against him. He'd transformed and kept her in his arms, using her heat to warm his naked flesh.

This is how Amu woke. Being held by Ikuto in the dead of the night. At first she just stretched a little and let out a content sigh. For sleeping in a tree she felt pretty well rested, until she shifted and felt the hard body against her back. "I-Ikuto?"

"Who else would I be?"

"You're human?"

There was a few seconds of silence until Ikuto finally answered. "Yes..."

Finally waking up, Amu realized how stupid that had sounded. "Sorry, still a little out of it. I slept rather hard."

His body shook hers as he chuckled. "Yeah, I could tell when I was able to shift you without waking you up. Are you more awake now or do you want to go back to sleep?"

A yawn stopped the pinkette from answering right away. "I'm waking up. If you want to move on, we can travel by night too since I just wasted most of the day."

Tightening his arms, Ikuto held Amu closer to him. The air was chilly but her body heat kept him warm. "I slept too. Besides, it's my fault we ended up here. I'm sorry for getting so angry earlier. I'm just not used to..."

"Not being good at something?"

A breath of air flew out of his mouth as Ikuto tried not to let his anger resurface. She just had to be so blunt about it. "I suppose if you want to say it that way. I was going to say a challenge. Usually people just let me have it my way or train me in a way that makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something. You're the opposite. I have to fight for any progress."

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Amu knew that she shouldn't be so comfortable in those arms that held her so close. However, she couldn't help but let her head rest back onto his strong shoulders. "I never thought about going easy on you. If someone was attacking you then they wouldn't so why should I?"

This time he just made sure that his arms held her safely as he rested his head against the tree. "I don't want you to. I like that you treat me differently than everyone else. It makes you special."

Amu felt the blush heat up her cheeks. Good thing she wasn't facing him so he couldn't see her face. Shifting a little again to get more comfortable, a realization dawned on Amu. "I-Ikuto?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you naked?"

"...Yeah..."

A scream filled the empty air between the trees.

.

Morg: I hope you enjoyed that!

Ikuto: I enjoyed the ending and where it's going!

Amu: I don't like where this is going at all.

Shrimpy: I think it should go there!

Morg: Well, review!


	9. Chapter 9

Morg: Heyo!

Ikuto: Yo.

Amu: Hello!

Shrimpy: Hi!

Morg: Enjoy!

Ikuto: I might…

Amu: I hope you don't.

Shrimpy: I know I will even if we don't own anything!

**~Human by Night~**

Anger was not a new emotion for the king turned panther, but being angry at himself was new. There was always someone else for him to blame for everything and anything at his palace. Now there was him and Amu. Amu never deserved his anger, even when she was the cause, so Ikuto remained angry at himself for most of the time. Angry that he couldn't pick up the fighting skills she was teaching him fast enough. Angry that he was a stupid cat by day so he couldn't talk to the beautiful girl he was traveling with. Angry that when he was human, which was only by night, they slept. He couldn't have pushed himself to stay awake, but there was no point in staying awake if Amu was sleeping and there was no way that Ikuto was going to take away her well-earned rest.

At the moment, however, he was livid. Absolutely ticked off. So angry that he wanted to claw his way through chopping down the biggest tree he could find. The reason for his anger was all due to the trickster with pink hair. She'd put on his harness since they were reaching the next town soon. Although, rather than hooking his leash and walking him into town like some kind of pet, she'd taken him off the trail, into the woods and fucking tied him to a tree. Ikuto hadn't known what was coming until she was guiltily waving over her shoulder as she disappeared.

He'd howled in rage for quite some time before he did everything in his power to free himself. Damn that girl and her knot tying skills. He needed fingers and a damn thumb if he wanted to get free. His mind replayed every dirty word he knew, though he never actually directed them at the real culprit. No, his words and curses and actions and dirty looks were all directed at the tree that held him captive. The bane of his existence.

Ikuto wasn't giving up though. He sat back on his haunches and studied the tree. There had to be some way for him to get away. Amu would have taken into account of the possibility of her not being able to return to him as soon as she thought and hence he couldn't be stuck to the tree forever or he'd be dead. The escape also had to be something that she'd taught him but knew that he either wouldn't remember right away or had forgotten.

While he was breaking, sounds of branches breaking under footsteps reached his ears. The furry things upon his head twitched. He knew that it wasn't Amu. She was silent when she walked through the forest and it was still too early for her to be returning. The sound of stumbling and rough voices reached Ikuto. Whoever was moving through the trees was coming his way. Thankful that Amu had left enough slack for Ikuto to climb the tree he was tied to, he shambled up onto the branch and waited. By the sounds they were making, they were going to pass right beneath him.

The group of five men came into view shortly after Ikuto got settled. The moment they stumbled into the small clearing, the leader held up a hand for them to rest. One of the larger ones, rather fat in Ikuto's opinion, looked out of breath and collapsed immediately.

The other three were just as big, though made more out of muscle, and sat to rest as well. It was the fifth guy that drew Ikuto's attention. His hands were tied before him and he was a tall yet skinny man. His hair was a deep shade of green and the glasses he wore were slipping down his nose.

"Sir, why do we have to move through the trees? Why can't we take the road?"

The leader glared at the fatter man as if disgusted. "So no one sees us taking him. We've been through this. Lord Tadase wants all medically trained men and women to move to the castle."

The smaller man stood between the four of them with his head bent low. His chin rested on his chest while he panted slightly. Ikuto felt his anger shift from the tree that held him captive to the men who held that man captive. So he'd done no wrong and yet they were treating him like a criminal. The anger only built while Ikuto watched them pass water and food between the four of them. They ignored their prisoner completely.

"The new Lord does things differently, doesn't he?"

Ikuto hadn't heard the man speak yet, but he was interested in the conversation now. Any news he could gain about what that devil of a man was doing to his kingdom was important to Ikuto. If he was going to fight and take back his throne, he needed to know. Though the need to rip these men to shreds was great, he held himself back.

"Things aren't as fair for the poor folk anymore, but that ain't our business. We get paid for doing what the Lord wants."

"I heard that he's killing off any nobles that remain loyal to the king. Don't know why any would though, Tadase gives them much more money and lets them get away with anything. No one dared that shit while Ikuto was on the throne."

The other three nodded their heads and fell silent again. After a few more minutes of passing water, they stood to keep moving. Ikuto watched them carefully as the shoved the man in the middle, who hadn't been doing anything wrong. He collapsed to his knees and groaned out in pain.

"Get up you lazy bastard! Get a move on!"

Ikuto had heard enough. He thought about letting loose the growl that was itching his throat, but Amu had always told him that silent attacks worked best. So without warning, when the large, fat man bent down to roughly grab their prisoner, Ikuto struck.

He launched himself off the branch and onto the back of the man slightly bent over. His claws sank deep into the soft flesh while his teeth were quick to rip out the man's throat. This was the first time that he'd ever killed a human, but now wasn't the time to think it over.

The man dropped and Ikuto was mauling the second before the other two knew what was happening. As soon as the second was dead, Ikuto backed up to his tree to reassess the situation. Two men were now facing him with shock in their eyes and knives in their hands. The second man threw his knife at Ikuto, but it missed when the panther dodged the incoming blade. His paw swung out and snatched the man's face from his skull. He dropped to his knees while shrieking in pain. Ikuto sent one more bat to his head. The force of the giant impact from his paw snapped the man's head to the side. A loud crack was heard before the man fell to the ground.

This left Ikuto with only one guard left. The leader of the four stood facing him with his knife in hand. Ikuto bared his bloody teeth and hissed at the man before him. It was then that the man noticed that Ikuto was tied to the tree. "So what do we have here, are you some kind of pet?"

The taunt only made Ikuto angrier. So what if he was tied to the tree? Couldn't the man see that he'd already killed the three others? Ikuto crouched low and waited. The man was going to strike or he'd make a mistake, either way, he was dead.

"Such a pretty kitty. I suppose your master won't be too happy to find out that you're dead when they return."

Ikuto relaxed. He needed to keep his mind clear. This man was taunting a panther. A panther! Ikuto wasn't supposed to understand him. He was supposed to be defending himself or hunting for food. That was what a real panther did. He needed the idiot to think he was a real panther and not a man. A very cunning man.

So when the man kicked a rock to distract him, Ikuto feigned his attention being drawn away. He kept his eyes on the man though so when he leapt forwards to attack, Ikuto could block. The thick muscles of his shoulder knocked the man off course. The stab intended for his chest brushed off his foreleg instead, causing the knife to be wrenched from his hand. The man was tackled to the ground by the large cat, who wasted no time in chewing his way through the man's neck. Once he stopped hitting Ikuto, Ikuto stopped biting him.

Now that the guards were dead, he lifted his head to look at their captive. Surprising enough, the man still stood in the clearing. His wide eyes were fixed on the panther before him, though he didn't look as afraid as he should have been. Ikuto growled lowly at him before retreating to an open area that wasn't filled with dead men or blood. He was coated with the sticky substance, however, and the idea of Amu coming back to find him in such a state made Ikuto slightly embarrassed. He'd killed four men. Despite the fact that he'd ordered hundreds to die, he'd never physically killed anyone.

The guilt of taking a life hit him strongly and he began to gag. What if Amu left him now? He couldn't bear the thought of her walking away from him because he was a killer. So caught up in his thoughts, Ikuto was that he didn't notice when the small man, presumed to be a doctor, made his way around the carnage to check on the panther.

His tied fingers brushed the top of Ikuto's head, causing the cat to flinch back. The man persisted though as he sat in front of the king without fear. "Thank you. I-I don't know what they would have done to me if you hadn't… I don't know what you are or who you belong to, but thanks."

Ikuto nodded and the man gasped. While attempting to stand, Ikuto flinched at the wound on his leg. The adrenaline from the fight had blocked off the pain signals being sent to his brain, now however, they were loud and clear. He was hurt. Amu was going to be pissed.

"If my damn hands weren't tied, I could help you with that."

Ikuto cocked his head to the side before laying himself back down near the man. The sound of footsteps once again reached him. This time, Ikuto knew it was Amu. He wasn't sure how long she'd actually been gone, but he was glad she was coming back. From the sound of her steps, she'd noticed that others had traveled along the route she was taking. The fact that she was being louder than usual told Ikuto that she was worried about him. A cat-like grin stretched across his face as he turned to wait for her.

The man noticed the panther's actions and also turned towards the trees. Not a few moments later a young girl with pink hair burst through the trees. She took in the man sitting beside her cat along with the four rather large rater dead men nearby. Lastly, her eyes took in Ikuto. Lying in blood with more matting his fur.

"Ik-Midnight! I leave you for a few moments and this is what happens! What happened?"

Struggling to his feet, the bound man turned and bowed to the young girl before him. "My name is Sanjo Kairi and I am in your debt. If your panther hadn't attacked those men, I would be on my way to the palace. Lord Tadase has been gathering men and women of medical backgrounds. Those that go, never come back."

Amu gasped. She eyed Ikuto, who was still lying behind the bowed man. He gave her a nod before she looked back at the man. "He killed them all, by himself?"

The man stood up and nodded. "He was injured in the process so if you would untie me, I could tend to him. I don't know much about cats, but I'm sure he only needs a few stitches and I do have my medical bag along. It's over there where the men left it."

Another gasp left Amu's mouth. Pushing her way past the tied up man, Amu dropped to her knees in front of her pet panther. "You idiot! I never taught you to take on multiple people! You could have been killed! Do you have any idea how worried I already was about you! Thinking that maybe you got out of your harness like I taught you and were following me into the village! I was jumping at every freaking shadow, only to return and find out that you would have been safer with me! You stupid idiot! Just you wait until the sun goes down so I can slap you properly!"

Her hysterics continued until she had her arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried into his fur while she cried.

Kairi stood shocked. The girl was yelling at the panther like he was a man. The weirdest part was the look the panther was giving the doctor over the crying girl's shoulder. It told him too things, that the panther was rather pleased yet surprised and extremely embarrassed. His eyes were begging the man still bound to forgive the girl for her outburst.

About an hour later, the girl finally calmed down and rubbed her face clear of tears. "I'm terribly sorry about that. You said your name was Kairi? I'm Amu. This is Midnight. He's… he's all I've got left."

Being the smart man that he was, Kairi nodded before bringing his hands up to Amu's attention. "Like I said before, I'm a doctor so if you untie me I can look at his cut."

Scrambling, Amu picked up a knife and cut the doctor free of his ropes before untying Ikuto and helping him out of his harness. Making a mental note, Amu noticed it needed to be cleaned. Ikuto hadn't made what she'd call clean kills.

After rubbing his wrists, Kairi bent down to take the large paw into his hands. He cradled it gently, despite the fact that he'd seen the panther use the same paw not too long ago to take lives. "I wish I had more skills so that I could deal with this. I can't see the actual cut because of the fur. It would be easier if I could shave him, but I don't have the tools for that."

Amu looked up into the sky. The sun was beginning to set. The day had passed rather quickly for all three of them and soon Ikuto would be changing. "Midnight, should we let him stick around and check you later?"

The large cat stared at the girl before him before he nodded.

Kairi had no idea what was going on. "Look, either way, the cut is bleeding. We need to get him cleaned up and stop it so it doesn't kill him."

"That's fine. Stop it from bleeding. Once it is late enough, we'll be able to move him easier."

"What are you talking about? How could it possibly get easier once the sun is gone?"

Amu looked from the panther to the man staring at her like she was an idiot. "Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

.

Morg: So that chapter was longer than most.

Ikuto: I'm a badass!

Amu: That was sort of cool…

Shrimpy: Super duper!

Morg: Review so you can find out how Kairi reacts!


	10. Chapter 10

Morg: Heyo! Been a while.

Ikuto: For this story yeah.

Amu: I thought maybe you forgot about it.

Shrimpy: I wouldn't let her!

Morg: Yeah, there is that.

Ikuto: At least you are updating it now, right?

Amu: I wouldn't mind if she didn't.

Shrimpy: Luckily you don't own anything either so you don't have a choice!

**~Human by Night~**

Despite being uncertain about the girl and her pet panther, Kairi did as they asked. He stopped the bleeding and sat down with the two, far away from the blood and bodies as they could get with an injured Ikuto, and waited. The sun was long gone, but Amu started a fire to give them plenty of light. Kairi was thankful for that since Amu had told him several times that in a short while he'd be able to fix the big cat right up.

Amu, on the other hand, wasn't as calm as she looked. Inside she was freaking out. Ikuto had killed four men and gotten injured in the process. How could she have left him? This was entirely her fault!

Ikuto could tell that his traveling partner was beating herself up over him being injured. Midnight was approaching, he could feel it. So when the time came, the big panther nudged the girl beside him and looked pointedly at a blanket.

Amu got the hint and quickly grabbed it before covering the king's body just as his skin began to change and he lost his fur and cat like body. A rather human man sat naked, with his blanket, before an almost crying pinkette and a rather shocked doctor. "Hello Kairi-san. I'm Ikuto."

Rising to his feet only to drop to his knees, Kairi didn't know what to do. The rumors of Ikuto's curse were true. His king had saved his life while putting himself in danger. The king he knew of before would have never done that. "Y-your majesty."

"Please get up. I don't like the bowing. Besides, at the moment I am not king. I just need my hand fixed."

Amu couldn't contain herself for a moment longer. Launching herself into Ikuto's naked arms, she cried into his chest while hitting him lightly with her fists. "What would I have done if that knife had hit somewhere else? You can't leave me too!"

Ikuto simply held the girl while she cried again. This wasn't like the strong Amu that he knew. Her words made him feel guilty though. He was all she had at the moment and he had put his life in danger, but he'd done it to save Kairi and he was glad that he had. "I have no regrets, Amu. You didn't see the way they treated Kairi-san and how they acted in general. I couldn't let them go. Please calm down."

After several more minutes and a lot of sniffles, Amu calmed herself and backed away only to turn to Kairi with a death glare. "You will fix him now and you will not breathe a word of this to anyone!"

Kairi nodded before he scrambled with his bag to fix Ikuto's hand. Not only was he nervous about treating the king, but he had a rather angry young woman breathing down his neck while he worked.

Ikuto noticed the shaking hands of the doctor and sighed. "Amu, you need to go for a short walk."

"No."

"You will go or you will see me naked. Your choice."

Blushing like crazy, Amu mumbled something about firewood and walked off into the trees.

Kairi breathed a sigh of relief as she disappeared. "Aren't you a little worried about her?"

"No, Amu is more dangerous in these woods than anything else could ever be. Plus she is angry so I feel sorry for the trees."

True to Ikuto's words, only seconds later a loud cracking sound filled the air. Kairi only gulped before he carefully stitched the wound shut. "I don't know how it will act during your transformation or if the stitches will tear but this is the best I can do for now."

"Thank you. Would you please hand me that bag over there?"

Kairi did as he was asked while in a state of shock. The King Ikuto he had heard about, the one that everyone knew was definitely not this man. This man was polite and caring. Never before had the king ever said please to anyone and here he was, in the middle of the woods, saying please to a stranger. He even got a thank you! "M-may I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"Ho-how did you change?"

"Are you talking about my personality or the panther thing?"

Kairi turned around as Ikuto slipped on a shirt and rose to put on his pants. "B-both."

Ikuto chuckled as he seated himself back down on the ground. "You can thank a witch for the panther part and Amu for the personality part. She saved me the first day I was a cat and has been helping me ever since. I was able to hide the fact that I turn human at night for only a little while before she figured it out."

Kairi listened in silence as Ikuto explained about Amu teaching him how to fight and how they wanted to travel the kingdom so Ikuto could actually see it and how the people live so that he can be a better king. He even got to hear Ikuto's plan to stop Tadase and take back over what was rightfully his by birth.

Amu returned at some point. She was silent as she snuck back into camp and moved to sit directly in front of the talking king. Without pausing for a second, Ikuto allowed her to sit in his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She needed the comfort of knowing that he was still there and that he was still fine so he gave it to her.

Kairi also noted the intimacy between the girl and the king. However, their relationship wasn't his business so he didn't say a word about it. "So you want to stop Tadase. How do you plan to do this?"

Ikuto was silent for a moment before Amu spoke for him. "We will travel and meet people. Trustworthy people will know the secret and we will start a rebellion. Tadase only caters to the rich so the poor will be the ones that have to fight back. Ikuto may have been a hard ruler, but he was hard on everyone."

Kairi nodded his agreement while thinking hard. What could he do to help? Things were getting bad and while he was trying his best to help the sick and injured around him, he was running out of money and supplies. "We must do something fast. Things are getting worse."

Ikuto was shocked for a moment before he spoke. "What do you mean we?"

"I'm going to do what I can to help, of course. I'm a doctor. I cannot allow the people around me to suffer when I know that I could be doing something to prevent it. Why don't we start your plan now? Do you trust me to keep your secret and work to get people together to form a rebellion in this area?"

Amu said not a word. This was between Ikuto and Kairi.

Thinking it over, Ikuto had to admit that Kairi would be a strong ally. "Alright, but we must find someone in the area with the means to help. I will leave that up to you. Start spreading hope and encourage the people to work for a better time. Convince them that the fake king Tadase shall be stopped. In fact, emphasize the fact that he is not king. Make sure to keep them from giving up."

The young doctor was shocked and amazed into silence. Ikuto spoke with so much confidence and so much purpose that there was no doubt in Kairi's mind that he would be an excellent king. Luckily, he really was the king. Now they just had to get him back on the throne. "I have someone in mind that may help. If I can convince them to help then I can start here."

Ikuto nodded before shifting the now asleep Amu in his lap. "Would you mind staying up and talking with me for a while longer? We won't be moving on tomorrow and once the sun rises I won't be able to speak to you anymore. I want to know exactly what you are thinking so that I can help others when we meet them."

Kairi nodded before launching into his explanation. Ikuto learned a lot during the night while he never let go of Amu.

XXX

Amu woke to the feeling of warm fur against her cheek. Midnight was sleeping beneath her as she was curled up into his side. The first thing she did was stroke her fingers through his fur. The second was to check his stitches. Kairi had done a nice job in making them neat and tight. Even though he'd transformed back, the stitches had held.

Amu turned to look at the tired doctor as he rose up from where he'd been sleeping. "Good morning, Kairi-san."

"Please call me Kairi. Did his stitches hold?"

"Yes, you may call me Amu. Thank you for helping and not freaking out."

Kairi only nodded his head before he adjusted his glasses. "It isn't every day when you meet the cursed king that saved your life. Stitching up his cut was the least I could do."

Amu just laughed as she patted the sleeping panther's side. "You must have kept him up late for him to still be sleeping."

"More like he kept me up late. The man is a genius when it comes to tactics."

"He was raised to be a king."

"Good point."

Amu sighed before leaning back against the steadily breathing cat. "I am glad that he saved you and I am thankful for you helping him, but you must understand. You cannot tell anyone about this. If people knew and talked the wrong person might find out and everything Ikuto wants to accomplish will never happen."

Having gone through the training to become a doctor, Kairi was no idiot. He knew when to speak and when not to speak, however, it was the way the girl warned him that spoke volumes. Amu was truly more worried for Ikuto and what he wanted than the country or herself. He was important to her and Kairi knew that she'd do anything for the young king. "I will keep the secret and take it to my grave if I must."

Amu nodded once before falling into silence. She noticed that the young doctor was still exhausted and sighed. "Why don't you go back to sleep for a while and I'll find some food for us to share."

Kairi nodded before lying back down. The ground may have been hard, but he was tired and it didn't matter as he quickly fell asleep.

Amu was true to her word as she gathered food and began to cook on the small fire that was still burning. Sometime later, Ikuto woke and nuzzled her arm with his head. Scratching behind his ear, Amu leaned forward to place her head against his. "Please don't do that again."

Ikuto let out a low purr before licking her nose with his tongue.

.

Morg: You guys are so cute!

Ikuto: So Kairi is going to help.

Amu: Gross! Cat slobber!

Shrimpy: SO FLUFFY!

Morg: Just review please!


	11. Chapter 11

Morg: **Happy Birthday to Me~ Happy Birthday to Me~**

Ikuto: Aren't you doing this backwards.

Amu: Giving presents to your readers instead of the opposite.

Shrimpy: Happy birthday!

Morg: Nah, they'll review and that will be my presents!

Ikuto: Now I know why you don't own us.

Amu: Whatever.

Shrimpy: We will! Someday!

**~Human by Night~**

With his paw hurt the way it was Ikuto couldn't walk well in his panther form. After the first day of him having stitches and only making it a few miles before the pain became too much, Amu decided to call it quits. "We'll stop here for the rest of the day and tonight we'll continue on since you can walk on two feet better than four at the moment."

Ikuto reluctantly nodded his furry head. He hated the fact that he was such a burden to Amu at the moment. Ever since his fight the morning before Amu had been more than protective of him. Ikuto couldn't decide if he liked it or not. Granted, Amu had gone through more emotional states than the panther king thought possible, but the one she'd settled on was slightly unnerving. While they had traveled before, Amu always moved from the ground to trees and rocks as to leave the least visible path possible. Now, however, she walked directly next to him on the ground and almost seemed to want to bear some of his weight for him.

Ikuto refused to be helped while they had been walking, now that they were resting at the base of a large tree and waiting for the sun to set, he didn't mind Amu snuggling in close and checking his hurt paw to make sure that he hadn't done any more damage.

The rest of the day passed by with several naps and checks. Night fell rather quickly, though that meant little to the human turned cat since he had to wait for midnight to strike before he could turn into a human. Strike it did as Ikuto shed his fur and donned the clothes Amu pushed towards him without looking. Doing the best he could with one fully functional hand, Ikuto dressed himself before turning Amu back around. "How far do you want to travel tonight?"

Amu sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. Panther Ikuto could take hard traveling. Though it was still the same body and man, Amu wasn't so sure that human Ikuto could travel the same. "We'll see. I don't want to push you too hard while you're still injured."

Despite being human, Ikuto still had to carry some of the stuff that they needed. While in panther form, he had his harness to help carry stuff. In human form, he was planning on carrying everything like a pack. "Then give me my stuff and let's go."

Amu hesitated. "How about you let me carry it."

"Amu, my hand has stitches. My back isn't broken. Give me my share of the weight to carry or we aren't going anywhere."

There was that hard commanding tone that Amu sometimes heard from the boy who she knew was the king but frequently forgot. "Fine."

Smirking his victory, Ikuto took the pack and swung it up on his shoulder. Once situated, Ikuto motioned for Amu to take the lead. She did so with a huff and they began walking side by side through the woods.

Silence filled the gaps between the trees as they walked. Finally, Ikuto couldn't take any more. "Amu, do you think Kairi will be able to handle what I asked of him? What if he gets killed and it's my fault?"

Deciding that pointing out the fact that Ikuto had killed many people before, Amu went for a different argument. "I'm sure he'll be just fine. Kairi can take care of himself. Granted, you met him in a tough situation, but he knows what needs to be done and how to do it. Don't worry about him so much. If anything, you should be worried about yourself. What are you going to next?"

Ikuto glanced over to look at the girl focusing ahead. "What do you mean?"

Amu sighed before throwing her hands up before her. "Meeting someone like Kairi won't happen in every town. How many people are you willing to share your secret with? The more you tell the better the chance that Tadase will catch us."

Ikuto hadn't thought of that but now that Amu was saying something, it made sense. He needed to plan out his next move now. Think ahead to know what to do in any sort of situation. "When we get to the next town, we'll just have to keep an eye out for someone to help us. If we don't find anyone then we move on."

Amu only nodded. Who was she to argue with the king? If Ikuto needed her help then he would let her know. For now, Amu was going to support him however she could.

The sun appeared and Ikuto returned to his panther form. Both travelers were exhausted and decided to rest for a while before seeing how far Ikuto could travel with his hurt paw. Snuggling up together, they fell asleep in the shade of another large tree.

XXX

The next four towns showed little opportunity for Ikuto to find someone to help with their cause. The people were too busy complaining or taking care of their own pathetic lies to want to help with a revolution. Not that Amu did any asking while they passed by in Ikuto's now healed panther state. The two travelers could just tell. Times were hard and the people living through them were tough.

Ikuto was feeling particularly down while they were traveling into their fifth town. Then he noticed something odd. There seemed to be more children in this town than the others they'd gone to. Finding it strange, Ikuto began paying closer attention.

Amu figured it out before her furry companion. There was an orphanage somewhere in the town. She was sure of it since there were so many children. Maybe they'd have some luck there.

After explaining to Ikuto what was going on and what an orphanage was, he agreed to go check it out with Amu. The owner had to be someone responsible and smart to raise so many children.

They entered the rather beat up looking building. Knowing that it was the orphanage due to the amount of children in and around it, Ikuto and Amu looked for someone in charge. The older kids tended to the younger kids, but they didn't see anyone much older in the place.

Finding it more than odd, Amu stopped one of the older kids from chasing and playing with some younger ones. "Where is the owner? Who takes care of you?"

The child smiled before pointing to a rather loud and playful older girl. Amu lifted an eyebrow before heading in the direction the child pointed with a panther Ikuto by her side. "Excuse me."

The brown haired girl stopped flailing her arms while telling her story to turn to look at the pinkette and her panther. "Yaya wants to know why you are here."

"Who is Yaya?"

"Yaya is Yaya."

Seeing as this conversation was going to get her nowhere, Amu decided to change tactics. "We're looking for the owner."

"Yaya is the owner!" The energetic girl burst to her feet and hopped excitedly from one foot to the other. "Yaya wants to know if the pink haired lady wants to adopt a child!"

It clicked then. Yaya was the girl before her and even though she was young, the girl did everything and was everything for these children. Amu glanced down at Ikuto and he gave the slightest nod of his head before turning to look at some of the children watching him. He was causing quite a stir amongst the children, considering he was a big cat and all.

Amu let an awkward smile slip onto her lips as the other girl continued to bounce around with all that excitement. "Yaya, I would like to talk to you alone. Is it okay if I leave Midnight out here to play with the kids?"

Staring at the innocent faced big cat for only a moment, Yaya nodded her head and clasped her fingers around Amu's wrist before pulling her away. "Yaya has a room where we can talk!"

Amu had only a second to glance back. "Be good Midnight and play with all the children! Don't worry kids, he doesn't bite!"

The moment the pinkette and the owner of the orphanage were out of the way, Ikuto used every one of his senses. The children were inching closer. If there had been only a few then it wouldn't have been so nerve racking for the young king, but there were over thirty children. Ikuto had never seen one while in the castle. People thought he didn't like them but that wasn't true. Ikuto just never got the chance to meet one. Now he was surrounded.

A bigger kid slowly made his way forward tugging a younger girl by the hand. They said not a word as they got close enough for Ikuto to move his head and touch them with his nose. He waited though, not wanting to scare the children. Amu had said to play nicely. Maybe this is what he needed to do in order to win over the owner.

The boy slowly reached out his hand, the one holding onto the younger girl, and placed both of their palms on Ikuto's shoulder. He pretended not to notice. It was hard to keep up the act, however, when the girl squealed and dug her fingers into Ikuto's fur. Her face soon followed.

When the other children saw that Ikuto didn't mind being touched, they raced in. Soon enough Ikuto was having fur pulled, brushed, twirled and just about anything else he could describe. He did not a thing while the kids touched him. Not even when a couple of smaller children started pulling his tail. Not when his whiskers got twisted and definitely not when they stepped on his recently healed paw.

Amu watched it all from a window while Yaya rushed to bring some water. Smiling as she watched, the owner (sort of) of said panther was glad to see that Ikuto was handling it so well. Then her heart stopped.

Amu had long noticed a young boy that couldn't walk well. He sat off to the side but stared at Ikuto as if he was the greatest thing in the world. Figuring that with all the children around him Ikuto would never see the young deformed boy. Amu was wrong. Ten minutes into the torture of becoming a petting zoo, Ikuto heaved himself to his feet.

The children around him flew back due to the size of the standing cat. Paying the rowdy children no mind, Ikuto moved towards the injured boy sitting alone. The child didn't look afraid to Amu so she watched with her breath held to see what would happen next.

Ikuto moved slowly as if he was trying his best not to frighten the child he was getting closer to. Once he was close enough, Ikuto halted his movements and to Amu's delight, he lowered his big nose and pressed it against the handicapped child's nose.

Amu was smiling so hard as she hastily wiped away the tears starting to form in her eyes. The young boy had wrapped his arms around the panther and buried his face into Ikuto's furry neck. Amu decided that it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

Yaya returned right then with the cups of water to find Amu crying. "Yaya wants to know why Amu-chi is crying!"

Amu simply pointed out the window so that Yaya could understand.

Moving to the pinkette's side, Yaya searched the grounds until her eyes settled upon the panther and young boy. "Yaya wishes Yoru was always this happy."

Amu could hear the sadness in the other girl's voice. "What's wrong with him?"

"Yaya remembers when Yoru was brought here. Yoru was a smaller boy and big men hurt him. Yoru was not born with bad legs, they were given to him."

Amu felt more tears rushing to her eyes. The poor child was abused and wouldn't be able to walk for the rest of his life. The poor baby. "Yaya, what if I told you that a very important person was trying to stop all the bad men. Would you help?"

"Yaya doesn't know what Yaya could do to help, but Yaya will always try."

.

Morg: I had to throw Yoru in. I wasn't planning on it originally, but I couldn't help myself.

Ikuto: Alright…

Amu: Is this the part where you demand people review because it is your **birthday**?

Shrimpy: I suppose so.

Morg: Leave me a present as well!


	12. Chapter 12

Morg: Heyo! I really hope that you guys love this story as much as I do!

Ikuto: I will once you put a lemon in it.

Amu: I think it is just fine without one.

Shrimpy: I'm with Ikuto on this one!

Morg: I'll put one in if the mood is right, just not right now.

Ikuto: Lame.

Amu: Don't do it.

Shrimpy: Yes please!

Morg: Doesn't matter what you want! We don't own you so it doesn't matter.

**~Human by Night~**

After hearing that from Yaya, Amu nodded. "Then I would like to stay the night here tonight with my panther. Would that be okay?"

Yaya peeked out the window one more time to see Yoru giggling in delight as Midnight sniffed his stomach, tickling the young boy. "Yaya thinks that will be okay. Amu-chi will have to share a bed, but can stay."

Nodding her head, Amu drank the water that Yaya had brought for her. Ikuto was doing a wonderful job making sure that the kids stayed happy, which was definitely going to work in their favor since Yaya could become a great ally in their fight against Tadase. Only a girl that could run such a huge orphanage on her own while taking great care of the kids in it could help lead an army.

"Yaya, what is your relationship with the people in the area?"

A small smile formed on the brown haired girl's lips before she once again looked out the window. "Yaya takes care of the children and some people help Yaya if they can. Bringing Yaya and the kids clothes and food that they can spare in tough times. The people are good to Yaya. Luckily, when Yaya started the place, Yaya could convince people to help. It is for a good cause."

Amu nodded her head to Yaya's statement. What the girl said was true. People would help if for a good cause. Everyone wanted to feel like they were a part of something bigger than themselves. "So you asked for help and people helped?"

"Yaya did a good job asking."

Laughing a little, Amu agreed with the girl. Yaya must have done a wonderful job in asking. "We should go back down. I would love to meet some of the children."

Yaya grinned before once again pulling Amu by the wrist. "Yaya would love for Amu-chi to play with the kids! Amu-chi can take one with her if she wants!"

Knowing that having a child with them would only hamper their task, Amu slowly shook her head no. "Right now I can't, but I promise that after our talk tonight you will understand why and maybe when all is said and done, I will come back and adopt one or two."

Amu had been putting off thinking about the battle she and Ikuto would eventually have against Tadase. The fact that it weighed heavily on their futures made her nervous. If they won and Ikuto returned to being king then Amu would return home with her father. Happy by that outcome, Amu still felt a little troubled. Not like she wanted to stay with Ikuto though. Right? If Tadase won then Ikuto would either have to flee or be killed. Both of those options didn't sit well with Amu though she couldn't do anything to change them. Either she'd go with Ikuto or she'd die with him. Although, the little voice in the back of her mind said there was a worse alternative to death. Tadase winning could also mean that Amu would have to stay with the vile man. That was definitely worse than death. No matter what the possibilities were, however, Amu was going to help Ikuto and they were going to do their best to right the wrongs. She just didn't need to be thinking about what happens after at the moment.

Ikuto lifted his head from the spot he laid at Yoru's feet when Amu and Yaya returned to the yard. He maintained his eye contact with the pinkette for several seconds before she looked away just after giving him a slight nod.

Some of the children still petting and playing with Ikuto stopped when Yaya returned. They bombarded her with questions while she only laughed before shooing them away to go play.

Smiling, Amu made her way over to where Ikuto lay. She bent down to look at the little boy with the blue hair. "Hello, my name is Amu. Yaya told me that you are Yoru."

The small boy nodded his head while shyly looking away from the pretty lady with pink hair.

Still smiling. Amu moved to sit in her favorite spot. Right between Ikuto's legs so that she could lean back against his large side. "Come sit here with me, Yoru. Midnight seems to really like you."

Blushing a little, Yoru held up his hands for Amu to pull him into her lap. Happily, Amu did so.

The rest of the afternoon was spent snuggling with Ikuto while Amu taught Yoru all the hand games she knew.

Supper was sort of a surprise to the pinkette. She never noticed Yaya disappearing with some of the older kids until they returned with large dishes of food. The youngers gathered around and began eating. Yaya herself brought some over for Amu and Yoru.

"Yaya doesn't know what Midnight likes to eat so Yaya didn't bring anything for him."

Amu smiled warmly to the hard working girl. "Midnight will eat later when we talk again, Yaya."

Yaya had a chance to give the other girl a quick nod before she was off to make sure everyone was eating something. When everyone else had her fill, Yaya scrapped out the bowls and ate what little was left over.

After that was more playing until the sun started to go down. Some of the children showed how much they wanted to stay awake and keep playing, but Yaya was almost strict with the looks she gave them. Immediately, the complaining children went inside to ready for bed.

Carrying Yoru, Amu followed some of the older kids and help put the handicapped boy to bed. Ikuto was right behind her, making sure that the little boy was definitely being taken care of.

Once the children were in bed, Amu and Ikuto stole back outside to have a quick conversation. Well, as quick of one as a human and a panther could have. "Yaya said that she'd be willing to help with whatever she can. I didn't explain anything to her yet since I figured you'd want to do that, but I do know that she'd make a fantastic leader. I mean, she organized this entire orphanage and got the people in the area to help out with food and clothing. The girl is an asset."

Ikuto nodded his large furry head. Yes, he'd already decided that Yaya would be a help to them and was planning on speaking with the girl himself once midnight struck, but there was something else on his mind. He nuzzled gently into Amu's hand, knowing that she'd understand what he was asking.

Amu sighed a little before hugging Ikuto. "She told me that he was abused. That he was born healthy but those responsible for him did this to him. That he may never walk again."

Ikuto knew that Amu was crying now. He felt like letting a tear or two fall as well, but he couldn't. There were more important things for him to take care of at the moment. Of course, if he came out on top of this little dispute with Tadase there was nothing holding the king back from returning to this place and helping out in any way that he could.

Amu felt the night wearing on. Having been with Ikuto for as long as she had, Amu too could feel when midnight was approaching. For some reason it made her heart always feel just a little lighter.

Ikuto knew that he would have to transform in front of Yaya or the girl would be hard pressed to believe that he was in fact that panther from before. This being the case, he heaved himself to his feet and followed Amu back inside the building and up to Yaya's room.

The energetic girl was still awake when they arrived; having waited for the conversation that Amu had said would take place. "Yaya wants to know what Amu-chi wants to talk about."

Smiling as she pulled out the clothes Ikuto would need from their packs, Amu just pointed at the large cat. "This is Ikuto. He is the king but has been cursed to be a panther during the day. We are traveling the country trying to find a way to stop Tadase from making things worse. Everyone knows that Ikuto was a harsh king, but he was harsh to everyone. Tadase only caters to the rich."

Yaya let one of her eyebrows slide up her forehead as she listened to Amu. "Right, Yaya knows this about King Ikuto. Things have gotten harder for Yaya to run this house for the kids since King Ikuto disappeared."

Amu grinned at the other girl. At least she wasn't claiming that Amu was a total nutcase yet. "Right, well, King Ikuto is about to transform into his human state and would like to talk to you. You can watch if you want, but I have to warn you that he'll be naked when he's back to being human."

Yaya blushed a little as her eyes slid over to look at the panther sitting so innocently in the middle of the room. The transformation started before she could look away, but once Yaya say the naked chest of the soon to be human king, her eyes slid shut and her hand clamped down over top of them. "Yaya believes!"

Ikuto couldn't help but chuckle as he slid into his clothes that Amu held out for him. She wasn't looking at him either, making the man smirk. "It is nice to meet you, Yaya."

Yaya lifted her fingers to peek out at the king before she lowered her hand and smiled. "Yaya likes meeting King Ikuto too. King Ikuto did a nice job playing with Yaya's kids."

Keeping his smile in place, Ikuto shook hands with the excited girl. "Amu told you my story, Yaya and I know some of yours from being around here today. Now, I have to ask you if you are willing to help me."

Silent for only a moment, Yaya smiled. "Yaya wants to know what to do?"

Ikuto felt a weight lifted off of him. "For now you must start talking to the people in the area. The ones that help you the most and let them know that the real king is returning. Let them know that if they want to fight then I will call on them when the time comes to kick Tadase off his fake throne. If they are loyal to me, they shall be rewarded. I want you to do this for me, Yaya, but don't do anything that may put you or the children at risk. If Tadase finds out, he will hurt you and them."

Vigorously nodding her head, Yaya agreed to what Ikuto was asking. "Yaya understands! Help King Ikuto but keep it a secret from the bad people! Yaya will do her best!"

Amu smiled before hugging the girl. "Thanks Yaya, you don't know what this means to us."

"Yaya is glad that King Ikuto has come back and wants to help. Yaya wants to help too, though there is one person that King Ikuto must talk to."

Ikuto frowned before nodding. "Who is it?"

This time Yaya's smile was a little strained. "Yoru."

"Why?"

"Yoru was taken care of somewhat nicely while King Ikuto ruled since bad people would get punished even if they were rich. When King Ikuto disappeared, so did Yoru's protection."

Ikuto felt his stomach plunge. It was his fault while it wasn't that Yoru was the way he was. "Take me to him."

Yaya nodded before leading the two people out of her room and down the hall.

.

Morg: So Yoru is going to become an important person to Ikuto and Amu.

Ikuto: That little guy.

Amu: I like Yoru already.

Shrimpy: TT-TT Poor little kitty!

Morg: Anyways! Yaya is going to help and Ikuto is building his army! Hope you enjoyed it!

Ikuto: Just leave a review.


	13. Chapter 13

Morg: Heyo! I'm super glad that so many people love this story!

Ikuto: Yeah whatever. Add a lemon and more people will like it.

Amu: I disagree!

Shrimpy: Of course! That's genius!

Morg: No happening. At least, not yet.

Ikuto: Good thing you don't own us. I can do it anyways.

Amu: With whom? Your hand? Because it won't be me!

Shrimpy: Harsh! Get some, Ikuto!

**~Human by Night~**

The journey for the king was a short one. Apparently, Yaya didn't like to have Yoru too far from her room during the night. The disabled boy also had a room to himself. There were no other children within the tiny space.

Amu took in the tiny, sleeping child. Something in her chest hurt knowing the where he'd come from and how he'd done nothing wrong and still ended up being hurt the way he was. "Why is he in here alone?"

The two travelers looked to the owner of the orphanage who smiled in response to the question. "Yoru will scream at night if he wakes up and isn't alone. Yaya hopes that King Ikuto will be gentle in waking Yoru."

Nodding his head, Ikuto dropped to his knees next to the small bed and placed his hand on the boy for the first time. "Yoru. Wake up little Yoru. I would like to meet you."

Slowly, the boy blinked his eyes. At first they were full of sleepy confusion then they widened as Yoru stared at the face he knew rather well. "I-Ikuto?"

Smiling, Ikuto nodded his head. "You know my face, Yoru?"

"I-I have a picture of you."

Amu fought back tears at the sight. Ikuto was being so gentle and caring as he spoke to the still sleepy boy. When that little hand brought out a picture from underneath the battered pillow, the pinkette had to close her eyes and take a deep breath.

Ikuto continued smiling as Yoru showed him the rather battered looking photo of him. The picture was one that had been taken a couple years prior. Ikuto looked rather young and arrogant in the sketch. "Where did you get this?"

Flinching slightly as if he was remembering something bad, Yoru smiled weakly before clutching the paper to his chest. "Yoru got in trouble for taking it and refusing to give it back. But she threw it away after Ikuto-sama disappeared. I couldn't let her just throw it away."

Patting the hand clutching the picture, Ikuto continued to smile. "Thank you, Yoru."

The small blue haired boy nodded his head against his pillow while smiling slightly up at the King kneeling beside his bed. "C-can I ask Ik-Ikuto-sama a question?"

Holding the empty hand of the small child, Ikuto nodded his head. "Of course, Yoru."

"Wh-why did Ikuto-sama leave?"

Falling silent at the question, Ikuto looked up to where Amu was standing beside the door. She nodded slightly as if encouraging him to be truthful with the child. "I was being a bad king and was punished by a witch. At first I hated her for it, but now I am learning much about my country and the people that live here. I am glad that she put the spell on me."

"A spell?"

Rubbing the hand he held, Ikuto tried to calm the young boy as he slightly freaked out due to the news Ikuto had just given him. "Don't worry, Yoru. It is nothing horrible. During the day I take the form of a panther. At night I get to be human again. That is why I had to wait to meet you until now."

"A panth… so that was you today?"

Giving the boy another smile, Ikuto nodded his head. "Yes, I came to play with you today. I hope you had fun."

Nodding his head vigorously, Yoru smiled so hard his eyes squeezed shut. "Of course it was fun, Ikuto-sama! Your fur is so soft and your nose tickles!"

Letting out his own chuckles, Ikuto tickled the boy slightly before patting his tummy. "I'm glad that you had fun. If the witch hadn't cast a spell I would have never met you, Yoru. But this spell also meant that I had to disappear for a while. I know that that hurt you after I left."

The bright look on the boy's face faded slightly as he once again remembered painful memories. "They were mean to me when Ikuto-sama was king. After he left, I was unprotected. If they had been caught hurting me while Ikuto-sama was king then they would have been punished. Tadase-san didn't care what they did to me as long as they gave him money. At first I could endure. The slaps were harder and hurt more. Then they started doing other things."

Amu could feel her heart squeezing so hard that she was certain that the muscle would just burst within her chest. Yoru was so small but had been through so much. She really just wanted to hold him and whisper that everything was going to be okay now that she was there and knew that he was in pain. Amu held herself back, however, as Ikuto once again held the young boys hand.

"If you want to tell me what they did, I will make sure that they get punished when I return to being king."

Yoru squeezed his eyes shut. Small tears appearing at the corners of them, but he nodded nonetheless. A slight whimper escaped his lips before he opened his eyes looking right back up at Ikuto. "Ikuto-sama will protect me again?"

"Yes, Yoru. I will protect you now."

Not waiting for anything else, Yaya pulled Amu out of the room to let the two men have their privacy. Yoru had told her a little of what had been done to him and the owner knew that Amu would definitely break down hearing it from the small child himself. This being the case, Yaya decided that the best way for Yoru to tell Ikuto everything would be to remove Amu and herself from the room. "Yaya wants Amu-chi to wait outside for King Ikuto."

Amu frowned a little but nodded all the same as the owner disappeared back into her room. Without any other choice, Amu settled for leaning against the wall of the hallway. Every once in a while a cry could be heard from the room she'd just left. The sound made her heart ache even more so, though she respected Yaya's wishes and stayed outside of the room.

Her time spent in the hallway gave Amu the chance to think over the past events of her own life. Sure Ikuto had been a tough king and her father was currently in prison, but Tadase was definitely worse. The men that had attempted to take Kairi-san, who were now all dead thanks to Ikuto, were rogues and probably not the worst that Tadase had working for him.

The problems weren't just in their travels though. Amu knew that both Utau and Kukai, who they'd left in the village closest to Amu's house, were struggling with their own businesses now that Tadase ruled. The poor seemed to be becoming poorer while the rich were becoming richer. Something that was not possible during Ikuto's reign.

So much had changed in such a short amount of time. Both good and bad. Ikuto had left the throne, causing Tadase to take over and drive the lower classes into the ground. However, Ikuto was learning what it meant to be a fair and good king now that he was traveling with her. They were starting little rebellions where they could and trying to bring the majority of the population together in order to once again put Ikuto on the throne. There was so much work left to be done, but their start was rather impressive considering when they'd left her house they hadn't planned to do much more than just walk around so Ikuto could actually see his kingdom.

There were definitely moments where Amu didn't know why they were trying so hard. There were so many problems to be fixed and at times it felt as though they'd never be able to do it. Tadase was bribing many of the best to protect him while Ikuto was recruiting farmers and laborers.

The pinkette was wrenched from her thoughts as Ikuto exited Yoru's room. His face clearly showed that he had been crying. His voice was raspy as he spoke to the girl on the floor. "He fell back asleep."

Amu did nothing more besides hold out her hands. Ikuto instantly sank down to the ground and allowed for her to hold him as he fought his inner demons. All of that had happened to that one small boy and he could have prevented it if only he'd been a better king.

"Ikuto, you didn't know. How could you have known?"

The king shook his head while still within Amu's embrace. "If I wouldn't have been so self-centered I would have seen that people were suffering. I could have prevented it. I could have prevented this."

Sighing, Amu slightly rocked the disgruntled man in her arms. "There is no point in thinking of what might have been or what you could have done. Focus now on what you should be doing to correct those mistakes."

Several moments later, Ikuto managed to calm the rest of the way down. A king should not be in the state he was in no matter what the situation. If Ikuto was truly going to lead his people again then he needed to start acting like a leader. "He will be safe here for now. When this is over, I want to come back for him."

Amu nodded her head, knowing that arguing with Ikuto would be pointless. "So what are we going to do next?"

Ikuto picked himself up and moved out of Amu's embrace without letting go of her hand to lean against the wall beside her. "We find more trustworthy people to help us. We start hitting Tadase where it hurts. In his purse."

"I think we should send a message back to my friends in my village. Kukai and Utau would be great additions to our cause and I know they would be loyal."

Without really thinking the suggestion over, Ikuto agreed. If Amu said that they could be trusted then they could be trusted. "Then let's have Yaya do that. We don't have time to turn back right now."

Ikuto was right and Amu knew it. They had to keep working fast as to not give Tadase a chance to stomp out their efforts before they really got going. "Then we'll keep moving to the next village in the morning and search for more people there."

Nodding his head, Ikuto felt exhausted. "That's all we can do for now. How many days until the next village?"

"We'll have to ask Yaya in the morning. For now, let's get some rest. You must be ready to fall asleep here."

Allowing the pinkette to pull him to his feet, Ikuto moved towards the room they were to share for the night. Yaya had apologized several times since she couldn't give them separate rooms, though Ikuto knew that it would feel weird if he were to sleep separated from Amu now. They were constantly together. Even when he'd been in that room with Yoru, Ikuto knew that Amu was just outside the door if he needed her. "Yes, tomorrow we keep fighting."

.

Morg: So I didn't want to go into too many details about Yoru's abuse, but just know that it was horrible.

Ikuto: People will die.

Amu: Good thing this is just a story.

Shrimpy: I think a punishment is in order.

Morg: Don't worry, they will get what is coming to them.

Ikuto: They better.

Amu: Like the readers would allow anything else to happen.

Shrimpy: Go readers!


	14. Chapter 14

Morg: Heyo! I feel like I've been ignoring you guys lately so here I am with an update!

Ikuto: Yeah.

Shrimpy: I am glad that I gave this story to Morg!

Amu: I like this story.

Morg: That's only because there are no lemons.

Ikuto: Which is why I find this lame.

Shrimpy: I never said no lemons.

Amu: No! Because the story is well written!

Morg: Did you just try to compliment me?

Ikuto: Oh my God! The world is ending!

Shrimpy: What is happening!?

Amu: No!

Morg: If the world really does end, I'm stealing the rights to own you.

Ikuto: I think it is going to be fine. Not ending.

Shrimpy: Ah come on! I was ready for it to end!

Amu: Yeah, no need to attempt anything. The world is just fine.

Morg: Are you two really that worried about what I would do with ownership?

Ikuto: Naw, I know. Amuto forever.

Shrimpy: It is the best!

Amu: I-I'm not worried! I just don't want that to happen!

**~Human by Night~**

Perched among the trees, she sat watching the two as they walked. Being that they were a rather odd pair the young girl didn't quite know what to think. The boy beside her motioned for her decision. Would they attack or let the unsuspecting travels go?

She really was about to let them go. The girl and her… _pet_ most likely weren't promising targets. They looked quite poor. With her hand in the air, the girl was about to motion that they let the two go when the ears of cat flicked. They were discovered. Changing her mind in an instant, the two made their move and leapt from the trees.

Amu actually wasn't surprised to see the bandits surrounding her and Ikuto. In fact, she'd noticed signs of them quite a ways back and Ikuto flicking his ears to let her know where they were just confirmed what she'd been expecting. "We have nothing for you to take."

Stepping forward, the leader scoffed. "We'll be the ones to decide that."

Ikuto felt a growl rumbling in his gut. No one else could hear it yet, though he was sure Amu could tell that he was upset. He'd attack if he had to even though this group of misfits looked rather harmless. The girl that had stepped forwards was rather short. Not at all intimidating.

Shrugging her shoulders, Amu dropped her bag before moving to sit on a fallen log. If these people wanted to look at her dried food and ropes then so be it. All her important traveling gear was kept on her person. No way was she about to lose her knives to these people. "Have at it."

"Make your panther stand down."

Switching looks with said panther, Amu lifted an eyebrow at the short blonde. "He's already sitting. What more do you want?"

"Tell him to behave."

"He won't attack you."

"How can I believe that?"

"Because Midnight isn't stupid. He won't attack unless you do something that I don't like."

Making Amu's point for her, Ikuto decided that this was the perfect moment to lie down at her feet and lazily yawn. The yawn wasn't because he was tired. No, the yawn was to show off his rather sharp teeth. Never hurt to remind someone of the power he held.

The short girl frowned before motioning for one of the men behind her to grab Amu's bag. He pulled out all the contents for his leader to see before setting them aside. "I knew you wouldn't have anything worthwhile."

"Then why attack?"

"Because you knew we were here."

"So, what does that matter? Not like we were going to go running to the next person we saw and tell them about you."

The short girl moved to sit on a rock across from where the pinkette and her cat sat. "Right and we were supposed to know that how?"

Something was off about these people. Amu could tell that they weren't really thieves. "Alright fine. So you couldn't have known, but you did make your presence known so now what?"

"Since I find you interesting, you and your pet will be joining us for dinner."

Frowning, Amu looked down to where her food was displayed. So they were hungry as well. "You want to eat my dried stuff? Why not just catch a deer or something? That would feed more people and taste a lot better."

One of the men standing around smiled before patting his leader on the back. "We aren't hunters."

"You aren't robbers either and yet you are trying."

The group tensed as Amu stared the blonde down. She could tell that they were all rather on edge from her statement, confirming what Amu had thought. They really weren't robbers.

The girl leading the group let her eyes roam over the girl before her. "You aren't a normal traveler either. Name?"

"Amu and this is Midnight."

"Rima and this loud mouth behind me is Nagi."

"The others aren't important?"

Rima scoffed. "They are, but not one of them would like it if I gave you their names."

Understanding what Rima meant, Amu nodded her head. "Fair enough. How hungry are you guys? I'm sure Midnight and I could find something for you."

Frowns appeared of the faces of the men in her group. Rima knew that they didn't like the idea of letting the two just leave, even with their promise of returning. "If Nagi and I go with you, you may hunt for us."

Knowing that the chances of them catching anything were less when extra people were along, Amu didn't like the idea of having tagalongs. The fact that they weren't going to be allowed to go without the two made the decision for Amu. These people were hungry. They had tried to rob her, yes, but not because they were bad people. "If you can keep up and stay silent I don't have any complaints. You have to do what I say though."

Ikuto allowed for Amu to handle the situation. If these people got any inkling of a thought that 'Midnight' wasn't a normal cat then they would have problems. Problems that Ikuto definitely wanted to avoid. Hence the fact that he just laid there and allowed for Amu to talk with these people on her own. They didn't seem dangerous to him.

Patting the cat at her feet, Amu motioned for Rima and Nagi to be ready to go. "No point in wasting time. Besides, who knows how far we're going to have to go to find something worth killing to eat."

The called Nagi was quick to place all of Amu's things back into her pack. "Do you need this?"

Slipping her knives from her vest, Amu shook her head. "Nope, send it along with the others and I'll get it later."

Rima nodded to what the pinkette said before motioning another man forward. "Take it back to camp. Don't take anything out of it. If Amu really gets us some fresh meat then we won't touch her dried foods. If we come back empty handed then we'll take what we want."

The other men simply nodded while smirking before they left.

Shaking her head, Amu decided now wasn't the time to brag about her hunting skills. Instead she turned to Ikuto. "Midnight, we've got some people who are hungry. Shall we catch something yummy to eat tonight?"

The large panther heaved himself to his feet before stretching out his body. Ikuto may have not trusted these wannabe robbers, but Amu had decided to be nice to them anyways. Something he liked about the girl.

"Does it actually know what you're saying to it?"

Amu turned to face the shorter blonde. "First of all, Midnight is a _he_ not an it. Second of all, he is the smartest cat you will ever meet so I suggest you show a little respect. You might regret anything you do or say to him in the future."

Scoffing, Rima made certain that her person was ready to go. Her shoes were on tight and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "I doubt that."

Nagihiko pulled his hair back as well after he checked his own shoes. "Be nice, Rima. They are hunting for us after all."

Rima scoffed again but said nothing more as they finally departed from their meeting spot.

Quickly taking the lead, Amu led the others through the woods as she searched for any sign of animals. Hopefully they would spot a deer or a wild hog to kill for their meal. Ikuto slunk along behind her not making any sound as he usually did. What surprised Amu the most was the way that Rima and Nagi were managing to follow her as well while being quiet.

It wasn't until she swung herself up into a tree that Amu noticed their moves. So they weren't thieves after all. In fact, if Amu had to take a guess she'd say they were performers. The two were graceful and moved well with each other.

Almost two hours later, Amu finally found the tracks she was looking for. A deer had been through the area not long ago and judging from the depth of the imprint of its hoof, it was a big one. "Midnight."

Instantly Ikuto moved forwards to take the lead. His nose stayed near the ground as he memorized the scent he needed before leading the others through the trees. The scent was getting stronger, telling the large cat that they were catching up with their prey.

Amu watched Ikuto as he moved. There were small signs that she'd learned from their previous hunting trips that told her how close they were and what she needed to do.

Suddenly, Ikuto stopped. He stayed low and crouched as he stared straight through some trees. Rima and Nagi held their breaths as Amu pulled out a long knife from somewhere on her person. They weren't sure what was happening, but they knew they needed to be paying attention.

Not a moment later a large buck walked through some trees a head of them. The large animal didn't seem to notice that he had people watching him as he took bark of a tree here or there as he lazily continued his journey.

One throw of her knife was all Amu needed to end its life.

Rima let out the breath she'd been holding as she sated at the bleeding creature on the ground. The knife stood out from the animal's throat. "That was impressive."

Amu barely nodded to the compliment before she moved forwards slowly to make certain that the animal was truly dead before she and Ikuto cleaned it. "Thanks."

Nagihiko stayed back with his little blonde leader while the pinkette and her panther tied up the dead animal and hooked it to Ikuto's harness. "Will he be able to carry it all the way back to our camp?"

Nodding her head, Amu finished tying the last knot. "Yes, Midnight is strong. He'll be fine. Do you two know where we are in relation to your camp? Should we go back the way we came or go a different route?"

Rima shrugged before looking to the man with purple hair. "You know these woods better than I do, Nagi."

Looking around himself, Nagihiko tried to remember if he knew where they were. "I'm fairly certain that if we head this way then we'll end up at our camp in about an hour."

Amu motioned for Midnight to begin his journey. "Then let's go."

Their walk back to their camp wasn't much louder than their hunt had been. Amu knew that if she asked questions and learned things than these people were less likely to just let her leave. She really just wanted to feed them and then be on her way with Ikuto.

Rima and Nagihiko remained silent because they were slightly intimidated. This girl had managed to kill a huge deer with one shot and had a panther as her companion. What were they supposed to feel comfortable about?

Once they reached the camp, Amu unhooked the deer from Ikuto and allowed for some of the other people there to take it away to be prepared for their meal. "Well, that's that. I guess we should be going."

Rima narrowed her eyes at the pinkette. "No, you will stay and eat with us. Tonight, in a way to show our thanks, you will sleep in our tent."

Shaking her head and waving her hands out before her chest, Amu tried to refuse. "No, that's all right. Midnight and I prefer to sleep outside anyhow. We'll just be on our way."

Nagihiko stepped forwards with a smile on his face. "Please, we insist."

Knowing that this was a bad idea, Amu couldn't refuse anymore without them becoming suspicious of her. "Fine, we'll stay."

Ikuto followed his 'owner' silently as they walked further into the camp.

.

Morg: So you meet Nagi and Rima!

Ikuto: Yeah.

Shrimpy: Aren't they going to become friends?

Amu: Of course we are!

Morg: You'll just have to wait until the next chapter to find out!

Ikuto: Oh the suspense is killing me.

Shrimpy: Quit being so lame, Ikuto!

Amu: Yeah! I'm sure Morg has something wonderful planned!

Morg: Right…. Review please!


	15. Chapter 15

Morg: Heyo! So usually I have Shrimpy say something in the openings and closing since she asked me to write this but I don't think I'm going to do that anymore.

Ikuto: Why not?

Amu: Because she's mean.

Morg: No! She just doesn't have any say in the story anymore so yeah…

Ikuto: Thank goodness you can't do that to us.

Amu: Yeah, you don't own us so you can't make us leave.

**~Human by Night~**

Shifting through the still night, Amu quietly made her way to the front of the tent she shared with Midnight, Nagihiko and Rima. The camp was quiet letting the pinkette know that everyone was most likely asleep. This was the perfect time to sneak out. If they didn't leave soon Midnight would change into Ikuto and they could be caught. Amu wasn't about to risk it. Instead, she moved through the night towards where the panther lay. "Come on, Midnight. Let's go."

Cracking one eye, Ikuto stared at the girl before him. She was motioning for him to get up so they could leave but the king turned panther had other ideas.

Frowning, Amu tugged on the dark blue fur in order to get Ikuto to move without her having to speak again. Talking was risky.

Ignoring the girl complete, Ikuto wished she'd stop. Though he knew Amu and he knew that she wouldn't stop because she thought they were in danger. On the other hand, Ikuto had spent the entire evening watching the people that now slept around them. They were far from being bad people. Nagi and Rima more so than anyone else. The couple only wanted to protect the people apart of their group. Ikuto wanted to properly get to speak to them. Plus, having them join his cause would be brilliant considering that they were a traveling performing group when they weren't robbing rich people in the middle of forests. They had the perfect cover to travel from place to place without drawing attention to themselves. If Ikuto didn't like them then he wouldn't even consider letting them know who he was. However, he did like them so he wasn't moving no matter how Amu tugged at his fur or hissed for him to move.

Beyond frustrated, Amu tried shoving the cat. She couldn't get him to move an inch. Stupid big feline. "Fine! This is all on you though!"

"What's going on?"

Amu froze at the sound of another voice. Ikuto hadn't changed yet meaning the male voice had to belong to Nagihiko. "N-nothing. I just sleep better when I'm near Midnight."

Sleepily, Nagihiko nodded before turning to lie back down besides Rima. The moment his head touched his small pillow, the girl beside him shifted.

"What?"

"Nothing, go back to sleep. Amu was just trying to get comfortable."

Rima nodded in response as she waited for Nagi to settle before moving closer to him.

Waiting for the two to go back to sleep, Amu simply glared at her panther. The panther that she worked to protect and care for when he couldn't do those things himself. The one that she was willing to leave her home to show him his country. Yeah, that panther was simply ignoring her when she was once again attempting to protect him. "Fine! Fine! Be that way!"

Instantly, Nagi and Rima sat up. Their faces showed the shock they felt as they stared through the darkness of the night to see Amu crossing her arms and turning away from Midnight. "What's wrong now?"

"He's being stupid."

Cocking his head to the side, Ikuto tried not to growl. This was his choice. As much as he appreciated everything Amu has done for him this was still his choice. He was king after all.

Seeing the look from Ikuto, Amu refused to give in. "No! No! I won't let you change my mind now! I said I didn't want to!"

Really confused now, Nagi shifted to find the small oil lamp that they kept inside their tent. They'd already put it out for the night but that didn't mean that he couldn't relight it. "What is going on, Amu?"

"_Midnight_ has to be the one to tell you because I won't!"

A low growl sounded from the big cat flicking his tail as he stared at the girl that the two performers thought was his master. Though the growl didn't sound menacing it did sound a bit offended. Almost as if the cat were warning the girl not to say anything else. "Care to explain?"

"Nope. You'll just have to wait. It won't be long now."

The two had never been more confused in their lives. This girl was trying to tell them that a panther was going to explain why they weren't sleeping during the middle of the night.

Amu huffed as she continued to face away from Ikuto. Despite the fact that she respected him deeply and knew that he was trying his hardest to become the king that everyone needed, she still couldn't agree with him at the moment. This was too risky. Sure, Rima and Nagihiko were good people but they couldn't trust the others in the camp. What if word got back to Tadase? Everything would be ruined and Ikuto's life would be in danger. As much as she tried to ignore him, however, Amu could feel that gaze burning into her back.

Staring at the girl, Ikuto knew that she knew he was looking at her. Every little uncomfortable shift she made told him so. Letting out a panther like sigh, Ikuto pushed himself to his feet and padded the short distance to Amu's side. She was definitely angry at him and he didn't blame her. Though he couldn't have exactly talked out his plans with her during the day. Wanting to end the angry mood between them, Ikuto nuzzled his nose into the side of Amu's neck.

Feeling the soft fur touch her cheek and the cold wetness against her neck, Amu giggled but swallowed the sound and swatted Ikuto away. "No."

Knowing that his plan was working, Ikuto continued to nuzzle the girl.

Laughing now as Ikuto pushed her over, Amu tried to push him away more. "Okay! Okay! Fine! I give in! It is your decision anyhow."

Happily, Ikuto sat beside his traveling companion to face the extremely confused couple housing them for the night. He could feel the time approaching and his body getting ready to make the familiar change from panther to man.

Noting the time of night, Amu grabbed a blanket from the floor of the text and threw it towards the panther. Though Ikuto wanted to show Nagi and Rima the truth, she doubted he wanted to show them _that_ much.

Just as Rima opened her mouth to demand an explanation a bright light filled the tent. The panther's body seemed to be engulfed in it, but at the same time the light came from the panther itself. Shielding her eyes and seeing Nagihiko do the same, Rima tried to figure out what was going on.

The light faded, allowing for Midnight to be gone and Ikuto to be sitting in his place. Thankful for the blanket, the king draped it across his lap so that the couple in the tent with them wouldn't see him naked. "Hello. I'm glad that we can finally meet."

Tearing her hands away from her face, Rima sat shock still as she stared at the man in Midnight's place. "What?"

Nagihiko could only nod in agreement to Rima's question.

Smirking, Ikuto tried not to scare the two with him and Amu. "Bet you didn't realize that I was actually a man."

Nagihiko just shook his head no as Rima continued to stare open mouthed.

Swatting the other on his arm, Amu scowled at the king before smiling at Nagi and Rima. "I was trying to get him to leave with me so that you wouldn't find out his secret. Nagihiko, Rima, I would like for you to meet King Ikuto."

Their expressions only showed more shock. First a panther turned into a man and now they were trying to tell them that that man was the king! This was too much for one night.

Ikuto frowned a little as Rima and Nagihiko continued to stare in shock. The other people that he'd revealed his secret to weren't as awestruck as the couple before him, though he couldn't really blame them. He hadn't actually wanted to believe it himself when he first discovered the truth. "I know that it is difficult for you to understand right now, but I wanted to show you my true identity for a reason."

"I think you should give them a moment or two to get over the shock."

Agreeing with Amu, Ikuto waited patiently as Rima and Nagi blinked a few times before exchanging looks and staring at Ikuto some more. After a few more slightly awkward moments, Rima finally let out a breath of air.

Nagihiko took Rima's hand as he faced the king of their country. A man that they had tried to rob, albeit he was in panther form at the time so they couldn't have known it was him. "I-I don't know what to say."

Smiling now, Ikuto nodded his head to the long haired male. "You don't have to really say anything. It isn't as if I'm actually in control of my country at the moment."

Rima nodded her head to that statement. "Yeah, life was a lot less hard when you were on the throne. No walk in the park, but a lot less difficult."

Having heard it before, Ikuto wasn't surprised to hear it again. "Yes, well, that is actually what I wanted to talk to the two of you about. Amu and I have been traveling the country and finding certain people to help me. Tadase is a cruel man with ill intentions. He will only continue to drive the hardworking people into the ground while the rich try to get richer. We mustn't let that happen. I need the two of you to join our rebellion."

After his little speech, silence followed. Rima and Nagihiko shared a few more looks before Rima sighed. "All right. What do we have to do?"

Happy to hear that they were willing to work with them, Amu smiled at the two. "We have to be careful as we spread the word of the rebellion. Basically at this time, there is no formal plan for taking back over. We are just trying to get the supplies to the people who need them."

Serious now, Nagihiko moved the lamp to a better position in the tent so the four could see each other with ease. "So what can we do?"

Ikuto leaned in, barely controlling his excitement. The two in charge of this group were going to be a major help to their cause. "For now we will give you our main contacts. I was thinking that you guys could act as a sort of message system. You have the ability to travel from town to town without anyone suspecting you of going to places with a purpose. You can use your jobs as performers to get information to where it needs to go. Even if I am not on the throne at the moment, I cannot risk letting the people of my country die of starvation. I am still king."

Liking this new version of their old king, Rima smirked her own smirk as she let her fingers tighten around Nagihiko's. "I think this could be fun. I was getting tired of juggling and stealing. Time for some more excitement."

"This will be dangerous."

Hearing Ikuto's warning, Nagihiko could only shake his head. That meant little to his lover. She thrived on the thrill of breaking rules. "We know that, and when the time comes, we'll be there to fight for you."

Ikuto hadn't expected that sort of declaration from the pair, but he welcomed it nonetheless. "When that time comes, you'll be the first two I call."

.

Morg: Tada! Nagihiko and Rima are part of the plan!

Ikuto: Okay, great. Now actually make something exciting happen.

Amu: When is Tadase going to come back into this story?

Morg: Actually, he'll be back in the next chapter. Don't hate me for it! The plot is about to thicken! Please look forward to it!


	16. Chapter 16

Morg: Heyo! It's me again! The author that takes forever to update stories because she has way too many!

Ikuto: Oh, you.

Amu: Don't give her any attention, Ikuto. That's what she wants.

Morg: Attention? Well yes, but not from the two of you! I love my readers the most!

Ikuto: Uh, right. Yeah, sure.

Amu: Are you okay?

Morg: I think he's just pissed because I warned everyone that Tadase was coming back in this chapter.

Ikuto: Stupid Tadagay!

Amu: Don't be mean to Tadase! Morg doesn't own us so her story doesn't mean anything anyways!

**~Human by Night~**

Something was off. Ikuto could feel it beneath his paws. He and Amu had decided to return to her small cabin for a while to sort out some more plans and thoughts so they could make some sort of strategy for the future. Tadase's rule was literally killing the majority of the population and Ikuto wasn't certain how much more he could take. The last few towns they'd been through that showed major deficits and finding no one to help them in their cause took a toll on the panther king.

However, at the moment they were moving rather easily through the woods. Amu's cabin wasn't too far away. Their trip had been extremely successful, and yet Ikuto felt each and every one of his senses screaming out for him to use caution. His instincts were telling him to take Amu by the scruff of her neck and pull her somewhere safe. He couldn't do that, of course. So Ikuto continued to follow the pinkette through the trees.

Ikuto figured that Amu must have felt it as well considering she moved a step or two closer to him as they continued towards their destination. If only he'd listened to his gut.

The cabin came in sight just as a large group of men jumped out from where they'd been hidden in the trees. "Yah! Don't move!"

Ikuto sunk low into a fighting stance. There was no way he was going to let anything happen to Amu. His tail curled around her waist as more men entered their sight with plenty of arrows pointed straight at them. Ikuto hissed.

"Now, now. This doesn't have to be that sort of meeting. Call off your pet, Amu-chan."

Knowing that they were clearly outnumbered, Amu shuddered at the sound of the voice drifting through the clearing from her cabin. Without being able to fight, Amu knew that whatever that vile man was there for, he would get. "What kind of meeting is this then, Tadase-kun?"

Some of the men moved out of the way to make room for their commander. "The kind of meeting where if you do what I say then you don't have to worry about anything happening to your pretty kitty cat."

Grimacing slightly, Amu tried to maintain her confident face. "What do you want?"

Tadase let his eyes slide up and down the pinkette before him. "I think it is time for you to stop living in the woods and come live the life of a queen in the palace."

"Has King Ikuto been found? Is he requesting me?"

Tadase felt the anger flash through him at the mention of the man that was finally gone. "That fool won't be coming back. He's dead. I'm the king now."

Hissing again, Ikuto bared his teeth at the man that wished he could be royalty.

Amu didn't want anything to happen to the panther that was a man. If Tadase found out the truth then he'd be killed on the spot. If he didn't know then he wouldn't hurt Ikuto. Because of this, she placed her hand on his furry back as if trying to soothe him. "It was merely a question, Tadase-kun. I've been away travelling for quite some time."

"This I know. I've been waiting for your return, and now that you are here you are coming with me."

Ikuto let out another hiss and began to growl. He'd be damned if he let this man take Amu from him.

"Call your little friend off or I'll kill it. Your choice."

Amu couldn't let anything happen to Ikuto. He was needed. So she would have to sacrifice herself for a time. It wasn't like Tadase would be able to do much to her anyways. "Calm down, Midnight. These men won't hurt us."

He knew, Ikuto knew what Amu was doing, but he didn't have any choice but to let her do it. As much as he wished he could do something in that moment, Ikuto couldn't. He was unable to protect her. He knew for a fact that Tadase wouldn't waste a second to kill him and then everything they worked for would be for nothing.

Relaxing once Ikuto stopped growling, Amu looked back up at the blonde before her. "If you promise not to hurt Midnight and let him be free here, I will come with you."

Tensing under the fingers on his back, Ikuto wanted to scream with all his might that he didn't want that. They could hide his true identity for a while in the palace. He knew all the secret routes. He didn't want to be separated from Amu.

"Fine. He'll stay here. A couple of my guards will stay to watch him to make certain that he actually stays until we're gone. I promise they won't harm him."

Satisfied, Amu nodded. "Can I say goodbye to him?"

Rolling his eyes, Tadase nodded before calling the guards away. "If you try to escape, we will kill you."

Amu waited until the men were far enough away before she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Ikuto's shoulders. The panther sat on the ground while she embraced him. "Don't do anything stupid. You have to finish what we started. Think about the suffering people. Think about Yoru."

Feeling completely helpless, Ikuto nuzzled into the side of Amu's face before licking her cheek. He wanted desperately to tell her that he would do everything in his power to save her. That she couldn't give in to that idiot because she was stronger than that. If she could make a stubborn king see his wrongs then she could hold out on a lesser moron.

Giggling a little, Amu buried her face into Ikuto's fur. "Listen to me carefully. I don't trust Tadase. Be on your guard when we leave. They might try to harm you. Kill them. Get away safely and find Kukai in the village. It's time for him to know of our plan. He can help. Make him help."

Mostly because it was the last thing that Amu could tell him to do and also because he knew it was the right thing to do, Ikuto slightly nodded his head before letting the pinkette release him. He watched her walk towards where Tadase stood with the majority of his men. The blonde idiot grabbed her arm and forced her into a carriage. They took off with most of the men surrounding them as some sort of protection force, leaving Ikuto with only six.

"Lord Tadase said to kill it once the girl was far enough away to hear its cries without being able to help it."

"Then just kill it."

Ikuto was ready for them, however. The first man went down before he knew the panther was attacking. The second quickly followed. The third and the fourth were a bit more difficult for Ikuto to kill. They were ready for him, but still met the same fate as their friends. Numbers five and six put up one hell of a fight.

Ikuto ducked and weaved through their blows. No matter what he did, though, they always remained just out of the reach of his claws and teeth. Just when he'd had an opening, Ikuto felt something huge connect with his side. The panther let out a loud cry as he flew back away from the two humans.

Somewhere, not yet too far away, Ikuto could hear Amu screaming for him to be all right. She was struggling to get away. In order to soothe her, Ikuto heaved himself to his feet before letting out a defiant roar. The two left alive backed up a step after hearing that before bending back into ready stances.

Remembering the majority of the training that Amu had taught him, Ikuto was patient. He allowed the large fools to throw off their balance in a rushed attack. The fifth went down before he realized his folly. The six wasn't so easy, but even hurting, Ikuto took him down.

Alone in the clearing, Ikuto knew that going after Amu now would be foolish. He was injured. His side wasn't bleeding, but the blow had definitely down something to his body.

Kukai. Amu had told him to go and find Kukai. They'd stopped by the blacksmith's shop before they'd left town all those months ago. The man was a friend of Amu's, which was probably why she'd told him to get Kukai involved with their rebellion.

There was a girl as well, though Ikuto couldn't remember her name at the moment. Instead, he focused on making his body take him through the woods and to the town. He tried to slink through the back alley places to the shop so that the townsfolk wouldn't see him and freak out, or attempt to finish off the injured panther in their midst.

Never more happy to be somewhere in his life, Ikuto slumped against the door. With as much strength as he could muster, Ikuto pawed at the door until it was opened and he fell inside.

"What the- Midnight? Is Amu around?"

Ikuto looked up at the brown haired man as he looked around outside for the panther's owner. Letting out a pain filled sound, Ikuto tried to remind the guy that he was there. The blow to his side was beginning to throb and Ikuto didn't know how much longer he could remain conscious.

Looking down at the injured animal, Kukai furrowed his brows. "Something isn't right. Amu's not here and you look hurt. This isn't good."

Ikuto felt relief flood through him as the blacksmith pulled him inside the little shop and gave him a somewhat comfortable place to lie down. For now he needed to figure out what his next move was. Amu said to trust the young blacksmith and tell him the plan. Ikuto figured that that evening he could just wait until he was human and then Kukai would have to believe him. Hopefully Amu would be all right until then. Ikuto was already planning on killing the man that stole his kingdom, but if something happened to Amu. Tadase's death would not come quickly.

.

Morg: So yeah. Enjoy it.

Ikuto: Why should I? You took Amu away.

Amu: Eh, I didn't think it was so bad.

Morg: There's actually not much left to this story. Granted, I say that but it is probably somewhere around ten chapters or so. Still…


	17. Chapter 17

Morg: Heyo! So I know I have other stories to update before this one again, but Michelle asked for this chapter and I cannot refuse her.

Ikuto: You are so whipped.

Amu: Look who's talking.

Morg: Did you just insinuate…?

Ikuto: I'm not whipped!

Amu: Yeah, just like Morg owns Shugo Chara!

Morg: I have no idea what's happening.

Ikuto: Lies! She owns nothing and I'm not whipped.

Amu: We'll see about that.

Morg: Help!

**~Human by Night~**

Midnight was approaching and Ikuto could feel it. The blacksmith had already gone to bed, but Ikuto wasn't planning on letting him sleep for long. Sure, he was hurting, but Amu was taken. The pinkette had said that Kukai was trustworthy so Ikuto planned on trusting him. Now if the night would just hurry so that he could convince Kukai to join their cause so that they could save Amu, Ikuto would be very grateful. There was no telling what that Kiddy King would do to his pinkette.

Yes, she was his. Ikuto had realized it the moment she was taken from him that he wouldn't be able to live without her. Amu had become his rock and his comfort. Her approval meant everything to him, which was why he was going to do the right thing. He was going to take back his kingdom and rule it justly, and he was going to do so with her by his side.

First things first, he needed to be human to let this Kukai fellow know what was going on and ask him for help. Yes, Ikuto was going to ask rather than demand. He quickly learned while traveling with Amu that if you asked for something first, you were more likely to get it. Ikuto was going to ask despite the fact that he was the king.

The moment he felt the tingling sensation begin on his skin, Ikuto grabbed the old blanket he was laying on to cover himself. Fully in his human form, he stood up on shaky legs to tie the blanket around his waist the best he could before heading for where he thought the blacksmith was sleeping. His side hurt like hell, but he wasn't going to just give up. Not when he was so close.

Finding the right room, Ikuto paused for a moment to figure out how to approach the other. Kukai was, in fact, sleeping and Ikuto didn't want to scare the man. That would not be a good way to start their partnership. Ikuto needed the other to help him, not kick him out.

Keeping his distance from the bed so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings, Ikuto decided his best bet was just to call for the other until he woke up. "Kukai. Hey, Kukai. Souma Kukai! Yo, Kukai. Dude. You fucking suck. Wake up."

So Ikuto truly hoped the other hadn't heard the insult, but his patience was wearing thin. Was this man a rock or what? "Kukai!"

Sitting up like he'd been shocked, Kukai stared sleepily around his room, trying to find the source of all the noise. "What the…"

"Please don't freak out. I really need your help."

"Aren't you the king?"

Seeing that the man was sleepily scratching at his head while yawning, Ikuto realized that he wasn't quite awake yet. "Kukai, this is important. I need you to wake up."

Nodding his head, Kukai pushed his blankets off his body before stumbling out of his bed and heading for the hall. He moved past Ikuto without so much as looking at him as he headed for his small kitchen. Once he was seated at the table with a glass of water in his hands did he finally begin to wake up. "What's going on?"

Deeming the other to be in the land of the living enough to understand, Ikuto approached the blacksmith again. "Kukai, do you know who I am?"

"King Ikuto."

"Right, I'm King Ikuto, but I'm also Midnight."

"Naw, you can't be a cat. That'd be weird."

Sighing, Ikuto motioned towards his naked body. "Why am I naked then?"

Eyes sliding up and down the king of his country, Kukai shrugged. "Why are you naked?"

Wanting to slam his palm into his face, Ikuto refrained from any self-harm. "Long story short, a witch cursed me. My guards tried to kill me. Amu found me and helped me survive and then took me around my kingdom to show me how people live. We just got back earlier today but Tadase was waiting for us and he took her back to the castle and I got kicked and my side fucking hurts but we have to save Amu."

At the mention of Amu being taken captive by that prick of a fake king, Kukai finally woke up the rest of the way. "Fuck man."

"Right, so I need your help. We started a rebellion while traveling and we were going to ask you and that girl, Utau, to be a part of it, but Amu's gone now and we need to rescue her."

Seeing as how the other sounded so desperate, Kukai decided to just believe him. His night would be so much easier if he did. That being the case, he did the only thing he could do. "So what now?"

Ikuto didn't quite understand why Amu wanted this man to be a part of their cause, but she did so he'd make Kukai join them. Then again, at least the man seemed to believe him for the moment. "You're going to get me some clothes and then you're going to go find that Utau girl so we can come up with a plan to get Amu back."

Kukai stumbled from his bed while rubbing some of the sleep from his eyes with his fists. The night was already going to be too short for him and now he had to end it earlier than planned. It wasn't every night, however, that King Ikuto-the king turned panther-woke him up to have him help save the kingdom. "All right."

Remaining as patient as he could be at the moment, Ikuto watched as Kukai dug through some drawers before producing pants and a shirt. "Thanks."

"Yep, I'll just go get Utau then. Might be a bit. She can be a heavy sleeper."

Ikuto ignored the fact that Kukai knew that about the girl and got dressed. The blacksmith's relationship with Amu's other friend was none of his concern, at the moment. Amu was Ikuto's top priority.

Thankful for the warning that it might take a little bit to rouse the girl they needed, Ikuto sat dozing in Kukai's room until he returned with Utau about an hour later. Ikuto assumed that Kukai mentioned who they were going to see considering the girl didn't look as though she'd just been pulled from bed. "You must be Utau."

"Holy shit. You weren't lying."

"I told you it was the truth."

Raising an eyebrow, Ikuto waited for the two to stop muttering to each other before he continued. "Did Kukai tell you what was going on?"

Nodding her head of blonde hair, Utau was glad she finally got up and got dressed after Kukai nagged her so many times. This was real. Ikuto was actually there. Gorgeous, beautiful King Ikuto. "Yes, but I didn't believe it until now."

Ikuto could understand where the girl was coming from. It wasn't every day that a neighbor woke someone up to tell them that the king was in their house and requesting their presence. The panther king could more than understand Utau's initial doubt. "Then he told you that Amu was taken by Tadase."

It wasn't a question but Utau answered with a nod anyhow. "He did, though Kukai also mentioned that you and Amu were traveling the country and managed to start a rebellion against the false king."

"Yes?"  
>Taking a seat on a wooden bench in Kukai's room, Utau sort of shrugged her shoulders. "Then that's what you need to finish."<p>

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I know that you want Amu back. She's a great girl and there is no doubt in my mind that she means a lot to you. You've spent a lot of time with her. Yes, it is infuriating that Tadase has her. It makes me so angry I want to punch something, but we can't just storm the castle. The guards there are all on Tadase's payroll. They don't care who the real king is. They'll kill you because Tadase has probably already ordered it. If you ever go back there then you're dead."

Seeing her point but still feeling angry, Ikuto crossed his arms as he stared at the blonde. "What would you have me do? I can't just keep wandering around knowing that she's there with him."

Sighing, Utau realized she hadn't had enough sleep yet that night to be a king's advisor. "That's not what I'm suggesting at all. You put together a rebellion. Now use them. Gather everyone and make a stand. Attack the castle together. The thugs hired by Tadase had to come from somewhere. They won't be likely to fight against their families and friends. Use that to your advantage so that you can get inside your castle. Once you're in, find Amu and kill Tadase, or whatever it is you're planning to do with him."

Thinking the plan over, Ikuto had to admit that it was a rather good one. Despite the youth of their rebellion, it was growing. Kairi and Yaya had continued to find people to join their cause along with Nagi and Rima. The four were working hard to help people, but Ikuto knew that no large resistance would be able to do as much good as him being put back on the throne. Once he was king again, Ikuto had the power to put things right. Reward the people that deserve rewards and punish those who deserve those. "I need to get word out to our four main leaders. Do you think you'd be able to send letters for now? I want them to meet somewhere so that I can speak with them and we can all plan. I'd go get them myself but I'm in no condition to run right now."

Kukai, who had been dozing off here and there while Ikuto and Utau spoke, snapped awake when Ikuto requested paper and pens. "I'll go grab some."

Rubbing his hurt side, Ikuto let out a sigh. "I've only got a couple of hours until sunrise. I'll get the letters written so that you can send them. I'm giving them a few days to get to the meeting spot so that I can rest up and get there as well. I'm expecting you and Kukai to come with me."

Utau nodded her head as Ikuto spoke. In moments like these, she had no doubt that this man talking so firmly and confidently was a king. Ikuto just had that air about him. He was going to do a great job once he was back on his throne. They just had to get him there first. "We'll get your letters sent out. Kukai and I know some trustworthy people to take them. You just focus on healing up so that you can properly fight when the time comes."

Ikuto hadn't really thought about that, but he was definitely going to have to fight, probably in both forms, to get Amu back. His main priority should have been his kingdom, and if anyone were to ask him, he would say it was. However, to himself, Ikuto admitted that he was doing all of this for Amu. Somewhere along the way of him turning into a big cat and her finding him and teaching him, Ikuto had become extremely fond of the girl. She could ask for anything and he'd give it to her. The feeling was strange and foreign to him, and yet, he didn't want it to go away, which was why he held it tight and refused to let anyone know he felt it. Soon enough he would have Amu back and then maybe his chest wouldn't ache so badly.

.

Morg: And the ball is rolling.

Ikuto: Cool.

Amu: So Ikuto loves me?

Morg: He's not quite sure what to call the emotion yet, but pretty much.

Ikuto: Duh.

Amu: I was only asking.

Morg: Are you blushing?

Ikuto: Redder than a fire truck.

Amu: No!

Morg: While these two argue about the shades of red Amu's face is, please leave me some love and tell me what you think!


	18. Chapter 18

Morg: Heyo! Remember how I said the ball is rolling?

Ikuto: No, but I ignore most of what you say so I'm not really surprised.

Amu: Me either.

Morg: Anyways, there aren't actually very many chapters of this story left. Kind of makes me sad.

Ikuto: But there are _important_ chapters, right?

Amu: There better not be.

Morg: We'll see. This story isn't really about lemons and stuff. I mostly rated it M because of Ikuto's nakedness and some language and innuendos and stuff. I guess it sort of just depends on what I feel like writing.

Ikuto: Would molesting Amu help you to write it? I'll do that for you.

Amu: Don't you come near me! She can't tell you to do that because she doesn't own us! I don't have to stand for this!

Morg: No, you wouldn't have to stand.

Ikuto: Ah yeah! Come here, Amu-koi.

Amu: Perverts!

**~Human by Night~**

Some kid, Kukai called him Daichi, took off with the letters that Ikuto wrote shortly after the sun rose. The blacksmith swore that the boy was trustworthy so Ikuto had no choice but to rely on him. The hurt panther could only lie in the back of Kukai's forge and let his side heal. Ikuto was rather certain he hadn't broken anything but he'd have to wait for Kairi to show up before he'd know for sure.

Working as to not draw attention to himself, Kukai made certain that Ikuto stayed out of sight. Being that their little village was so close to the castle, Tadase's men were always around. The last thing that the blacksmith wanted was for the king to be discovered and killed before the revolution could happen along with them saving Amu. Project after project, Kukai hammered away at his orders so that he could finish them on time. Not only was he working quickly to act as though nothing had changed and he hadn't had a royal visitor in the middle of the night, but Kukai wanted to finish some of the things he was working on since Ikuto had said that he'd be going along for the meeting to start the rebellion. Kukai wasn't entirely certain when he'd get to come back to his shop so he wanted to get as many things done as possible.

Stopping by for lunch, Utau checked on the hurt kitty and made certain he had food and water-the girl couldn't help but notice that Ikuto was handsome even in panther form-before going to speak with Kukai. There was a rise in the population of Tadase's henchmen in the town and the blonde was a bit worried. "What if they're looking for him?"

Looking up from the hitch he was currently fixing for a small farming family, Kukai lifted an eyebrow at the fretting blonde. "Are they searching buildings or just walking around? If we don't give them reason to come in and find him then he won't be found."

Biting on her lower lip, Utau knew that the man was right, though she couldn't help but be nervous still. "I don't like being this close. We should head to the meeting location sooner rather than later."

Sighing, Kukai put down his tools to give the girl in his shop his full attention. "Look, right now they've got no reason to suspect anything. We're not doing anything out of the ordinary and I can't just walk away right now. There are people depending on me just as there are people depending on you. Go get some of your orders done. If you can come and tell me you have no work left to do then I'll think about leaving early. Ikuto put in his letters that everyone has three days to show up. We have to give Daichi at least two days to deliver the letters. The kid is fast but no one is that fast. The cat is perfectly safe staying here. I know how to handle weapons. If we need to make a break for it we can, but you also have to remember that he's hurt. We can't exactly make a quick getaway right now."

Pressing her teeth deeper into her lips, Utau sighed before unclenching her jaw and releasing the victim it held. "You're right. Acting normal for now is the best we can do. I'm sorry. I'm just nervous. This has to work. We have to get Amu back and save this country before a lot of good people die."

If he hadn't been so dirty from working in his shop and Utau hadn't been so clean from working in hers, Kukai would have reached out and pulled the worried girl into his arms. This girl that could be so cold and rude to people was actually so very caring and Kukai loved the fact that he was the one that got to see this side of her. Since he couldn't touch her in fear of getting her dirty, Kukai settled for a gentle smile rather than his usual grin. "You're determination and mine are going to make this work. We'll see it to the end. Are you going to give up?"

"No!"

"Then I won't either. Tadase can't win."

The man never ceased to amaze Utau. The first time they'd met, she'd thought he was rather stupid. Now she knew better. Kukai was someone that would put on an idiotic front so people would let their guards down. He got what he needed to get and gave what needed giving. He was a wolf living among stupid sheep. Utau felt special that he considered her a friend. "Against you and me? That loser doesn't stand a chance."

The two snickered to each other before bidding goodbye and heading back to the tasks that needed completing. Telling each other that they could dethrone the kiddy king and doing it were two different things, but knowing that they were both in it until the end gave the other strength. Strength to carry on with what they were doing so they could win this fight and prepare for the future.

Ikuto, having heard the entire conversation thanks to his super excellent panther hearing, sighed a bit as he switched positions to relieve some of the tension in his aching side. Having such determined people to help him was definitely a good thing, though Ikuto really only wanted one person at his side. He was willing to do anything to get her back.

XXX

Sitting in a rather elegant dress that Amu despised, the pinkette moved the food around on her plate without actually eating much. The table was filled with enough food to feed the orphanage that they'd visited for several days and yet, only Amu and Tadase were there to eat. The girl felt horrible that so much would go to waste when so many were going hungry.

"Eat up, Amu-chan. I don't want you getting sick during your stay."

The voice held a fake sweetness to it. The man that Amu had known at one point was definitely gone. A long time ago, Tadase hadn't been a power hungry man. He'd been sweet and kind and caring to pretty much everyone. Amu hated to admit that she actually had liked the young noble. Of course, her status kept her far from the boy she liked so Amu didn't think too much about him. So much had happened since then. Her father being taken and thrown into jail, Tadase becoming cold and overly ambitious, not to mention Ikuto being cursed and turned into a large cat. Some things Amu was thankful for, some she wasn't. "I'm sorry, I just don't seem to be very hungry this evening."

Frowning, Tadase didn't like the fact that Amu wasn't eating much. He wasn't stupid, nor was he blind. He knew that the girl wasn't eating much of anything at all. He also knew that she was doing it on purpose. Too bad her efforts were futile. He had a proposition for her that he knew she wouldn't resist. "Then perhaps now is a good time to talk to you about a proposal I have in mind."

It wasn't a question so Amu didn't respond.

Clearing his throat, Tadase placed his silverware to the side before placing his elbows on the table, folding his hands in front of his body and staring over top of them at Amu. The fake king held her gaze as he spoke, wanting to gage her reaction to his words. "I want you. I know that you know that by now. I wasn't being secretive about it, though you've done a fairly good job of not answering me so far. I won't let you get away any more, so I'll make it easier for you to say yes. Become mine willingly and I'll release your father from the dungeon."

Amu sat stunned. She'd expected this, but not for a few more days. The man had hardly waited for one full one before demanding so much of her. Amu didn't want this man. Hating to admit it, there was someone else on her mind now. "Can I… can I have a few days to think over your offer."

There was nowhere for her to go. Tadase knew it was only a matter of time before Amu had to give in; however, he wasn't exactly as patient as he once was. "You have a week. I expect your answer in one week."

Throat suddenly feeling rather dry, Amu swallowed before nodding. Hopefully Ikuto would be able to free her before the week was up.

XXX

Exhausted, the boy entered the blacksmith's shop late at night. He'd done it. The letters that Kukai and Utau had asked him to deliver were delivered. He'd even managed to do it in less time than they'd expected. Now Daichi just wanted a break.

Unfortunately, the young boy was just as startled as the half-naked king when they accidently met in the dark halls of Kukai's house. "Who're you!?"

Sighing, Ikuto ran a hand through his hair as his heartbeat returned to normal. "You're the one that took my letters, yes?"

Shaking a bit, the boy nodded his confirmation. "I-I did."

"Thank you."

Knowing full well by now that the man before him was the king, Daichi didn't know how to handle himself. He'd just delivered important documents for said king and was being thanked for his hard work. Never in his life had he expected something like this to happen. "Y-You're welcome."

Ikuto hadn't meant to meet up with the boy. In fact, he'd rather no one else know of his presence at the blacksmith's shop, but that couldn't be helped now. "Listen, Kukai told me that you were a trustworthy person. Because of this, I'm trusting that you delivered my letters to the right people without drawing too much attention to yourself. I hope you did this because it would mean saving this country from the idiot trying to rule it in my place. I'm also trusting that you can keep my presence here a secret. If the wrong people find out, I'll be killed for certain and all my hard work, and yours, would be for nothing."

Shocked beyond most comprehension, Daichi just frantically nodded his head. "Whatever you need, Ikuto-sama, I'll do it for you."

Pleased, Ikuto gave the boy a small smile before panting his shoulder and continuing on his way to lie down for a while. His side was getting better, yes, but he still had a long ways to go before he'd be ready for any sort of fight.

Daichi just couldn't believe his luck. His _king_ had just trusted him with a huge secret and important tasks. His night couldn't get any better.

.

Morg: Please remember that I don't write pointless scenes!

Ikuto: Why are you reminding us now?

Amu: She's been feeling a bit down because of the lack of trust lately.

Morg: It's getting kind of bad. Not necessarily for this story, but still. I don't just make stuff up as I go along. Each story has been planned out and properly plotted so that it makes sense and flows. Please trust me with my plots! They are so important to me!

Ikuto: I trust you to put lemons in your plots.

Amu: I trust you to keep them clean!

Morg: I don't need trust from either of you.


	19. Chapter 19

Morg: Heyo!

Ikuto: Another update?

Amu: Are you doing that thing again?

Morg: What thing?

Ikuto: She means where you update multiple stories in like two days.

Amu: Yeah, that thing.

Morg: Maybe.

Ikuto: You could just tell us.

Amu: Not that we care. You don't own us or anything.

Morg: You'll just have to wait and see!

**Due to my USB deciding to fuck me over, I've lost all my chapters for everything. The stories posted I've already downloaded, but I lost Indebted. Does anyone have it saved to their computers? I'd appreciate it if someone could email it to me so I can repost the original story! Thanks!**

**~Human by Night~**

"How does it feel?"

In the dead of the night, almost two days after Daichi had delivered his letters, Kairi came riding into town. The doctor had never met the blacksmith he was looking for, but the two acted as old friends under the watchful gaze of some of Tadase's servants. It didn't take long for the summoned man to enter the shop and find the panther king.

Ikuto sat patiently as the man felt his tender skin. "Not as bad as it did before. I could hardly move after it happened. Now it only hurts when I twist too far."

Nodding, Kairi moved away so that Ikuto could put on the shirt he'd removed for the doctor's inspection. "Good. That means that the blow didn't break any of your ribs. You probably had a deep muscle bruise. Just as painful as a broken rib, but they don't take as long to heal. You should be fine by tomorrow night."

The doctor's findings were exactly what Ikuto wanted to hear. Amu had been with Tadase for several days already. Each day was one too many. As much as Ikuto wanted to say that he was doing everything he was at the moment for his kingdom, the man that turned into a panther with the sun wouldn't lie to himself. His reasons may somewhat include the rest of the kingdom, but his priority at the moment was Amu. It was his fault that she was there anyhow. If Ikuto hadn't been such a selfish king, better yet, if he hadn't been such a poor fighter when they came for her, she wouldn't be there.

What was done was done, however, and Ikuto could only move forward with his plans to kill two birds with one stone. In reality, it was only one bird, but its death solved two problems. Killing Tadase would save Amu from the man and it would also free his kingdom from the idiot ruining it

Thanks to his travels with the pinkette he was currently trying to save, Ikuto realized that while he wasn't the best king, he was much better than the imposter on his throne. With all the people he'd met and become friends with, he wouldn't leave the kingdom in such incapable hands. Tadase had to go and Amu had to be saved. Ikuto would see it done.

Pushing up from his spot in the back of Kukai's shop, Ikuto paced the floor a few times after slipping back into his shirt. They needed to prepare to move and do so without Tadase's guards ever being the wiser. His letters held explicit instructions for each of the people they were addressed to for each person to gather whatever support they had and make their way to the woods near where Amu's cabin was located. Ikuto wanted to use the cover of the trees to prepare for their march on the castle. Hopefully things would work in his favor and Tadase wouldn't ever see the attack coming. Farmers and workers might be poor people, but they are also the people with the most to fight for.

Ikuto was going to have to ask for their help. In order to win this fight, he was going to have to help them realize the strength they had. The kingdom wouldn't run without them. Ikuto knew that now.

Running a hand through his hair, the king turned to look at the doctor and blacksmith. "This isn't going to be easy."

The doctor waited to see if his king had anything else to say. When Ikuto remained silent, Kairi decided to lend his king some of his strength. "Saving me from the men attempting to take me to the palace wasn't going to be easy either, and yet you still did it. I fight with you, my king. Any mistakes you made before, you've already learned from. I have complete faith in you."

"I'm prepared to fight with everything I have, but will it be enough?"

Kukai wasn't sure who they were supposed to look to when the king was uncertain about something. The man was their leader. He was the one they went to when they had problems. Ikuto looked a bit apprehensive at the moment, so the blacksmith decided to step in with a bit of a pep talk. "If you don't think you can do it then just leave."

Lifting his head to stare at the man in shock, Ikuto could hardly believe his ears. "What?!"

"You heard me. If you are just going to pace around my house and think about how you're not going to be able to do a good job or succeed or whatever then you can go. Obviously this means that you aren't the right person to rule a country. Maybe Amu will be better off as Tadase's queen."

Growling, Ikuto quickly approached the blacksmith, though he stopped himself before touching the younger male. "You can go! I'm not going anywhere! This country and all the people in it are mine to protect and rule! You have no right! I'll take back my throne on my own if I have to!"

Grinning, Kukai nodded his head while crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall behind him. "I didn't think so before, but now I see it. I'll follow you."

Shocked once again, Ikuto felt a bit of shame enter his system. For a moment, he had doubted himself. Doubt would only lead to failure. As the king, Ikuto had to be certain in what he was doing or else his people would doubt him as well and all would be lost. "We're attacking the day after tomorrow. We'll have the meet tomorrow night. It is time for this kingdom to know that they still have a true king. One that will not rest until the wrongs have been righted."

Kairi refused to allow his emotions to get the best of him. For a long time, he had thought that their homeland was lost. Even under Ikuto's previous rule, things were bleak. Now they had hope. "Then we should rest."

In his human form, Ikuto didn't feel the need to sleep every night. Usually he managed to get in some cat naps during the day, especially now that he was stuck in Kukai's back room. "I have plans to put together, but I encourage both of you to get some sleep."

Pushing off the wall, Kukai motioned for the doctor to follow him. "I've got a place for you to sleep down this way. We can talk more in the morning."

Without question, Kairi followed the blacksmith to whatever room he was going to be given for the night. There was definitely more to talk about the following day. However, their leader needed time to prepare before said talk. "Good night, highness."

Bowing to the man he considered his friend, Ikuto bid both males a goodnight before turning back to sit at the table he'd be at before Kairi's arrival. Gathering people to help with the fighting was only part of what needed to be done. Being that the castle had been Ikuto's home his entire life, he knew the building well. Its weaknesses and its strengths, Ikuto knew of all of them.

Staring at the wood of Kukai's table, Ikuto went over his options. There were a few places that some people could sneak in, but not enough to over throw Tadase and his hired goons. Granted, some of the men hired had come from the same type of background as the people that would be helping him fight. Some might switch sides just seeing the attack force.

What needed to happen the most, however, was Ikuto needed to be seen. He'd make certain to reveal both his forms the following night so that everyone understood who and what he was at the moment. Cursed but willingly to fight despite his hardships. This meant that he needed Tadase to see him as well. In order to have that, Ikuto would have to lead everyone straight for the front gates. With enough numbers, they'd be able to break in to the castle grounds. Being that he couldn't take any chances, Ikuto came up with a backup plan to get them inside. One that he'd talk over with two of the only people he knew could pull it off.

The next few days would be extremely busy, and yet Ikuto found himself unable to do anything but sit at the table and think. As much as he tried to keep his thoughts on the battle and plans, it kept drifting back to a certain girl with pink hair. Ikuto prayed that Amu was all right. If anything happened to her, Ikuto wouldn't even ask for forgiveness. He'd just take all the blame and force himself to live with the failure of knowing he couldn't protect those important to him. That was a future he did not want and would do anything to prevent. Storming the castle to take back his throne to make certain that Amu was forever looked after sounded like the best way to achieve what he wanted. At least this time around he was somewhat prepared to help those in his kingdom.

Traveling with Amu really had done wonders for the panther that was a king. Not only did Ikuto get to see the hardships of living on the lower side of poverty, but he got to experience living it as well. Not knowing where his next meal would come from or if he'd even get one was something Ikuto didn't want for anyone to worry about ever again. Things needed to change and Ikuto was going to see to it that they would.

The king didn't mean for it to happen, but he fell asleep where he sat that night.

.

Morg: Not much of this story left. Are you prepared for the end?

Ikuto: Are you prepared to give me the kind of ending that I want?

Amu: You're both ridiculous. Just finish the story.

Morg: I'm working on it. I hadn't originally planned for this chapter to be so serious, but Ikuto sort of needed it.

Ikuto: Meh, I'm good.

Amu: I don't even know why I bother with either of you…


	20. Chapter 20

Morg: Heyo! Are you ready!?

Ikuto: For what?

Amu: Don't know.

Morg: For the fight! Duh!

Ikuto: Already? Can't I just like, have Amu?

Amu: No.

Morg: You have to fight for her.

Ikuto: That's so lame. She wants me anyhow.

Amu: No I don't.

Morg: If I owned you then she'd already be yours.

Ikuto: Make some money then!

Amu: No thanks!

**~Human by Night~**

Ikuto couldn't help but be nervous. The last time he'd appeared in front of any of his subjects in a large amount he'd been cursed. This time he was asking them to put their lives on the line for a king that could only give his word that he'd right the wrongs that he'd created. Ikuto was nervous that they'd laugh in his face and walk away. There would be nothing he could do if they decided that he wasn't worth it.

Not only that but he'd have to share his secret with all of them. Waiting for the meet in Amu's house gave him courage. The familiar place reminded him of how much he'd actually changed and what he was fighting for. This wasn't about himself. This was about everyone.

The door opened to reveal Kairi's head as he poked it inside. "Almost everyone is here. It's time."

Stretching out his panther body, Ikuto slinked to his feet and padded towards the door. He was going to start off in his panther form and reveal the curse first. After than he planned to explain how he'd managed to travel the country and learn so much more about his subjects before explaining what needed to be done. Hopefully, everyone would be on his side.

Looking through the crowd that was gathered, Ikuto recognized some of the faces. Yaya had come along with Rima, Nagi and their entire troop of traveling acrobats. There were many that Ikuto didn't know, however.

"What is this? Why is there a panther? I was told this was something important."

"Who knows? Someone kill it before it hurts anyone."

Moving to stand beside Ikuto, Kukai dropped the point of his sword on the ground. He may or may not have picked out the biggest broad sword he'd made to bring along for this purpose. "Nobody touches the cat."

The crowd settled down as Ikuto sat on the small stump that they'd placed there for his use. Kukai was beside him because the blacksmith held the blanket and pants that Ikuto planned to use before any of his subjects could see his nakedness. There were some things that they didn't need to know about him.

With midnight approaching, Ikuto straightened up. He could feel the tingling sensation began across his skin. It wasn't until he heard the gasps of some of the people watching did he realize that he was already turning back into a human.

Quickly covering the cat turning into a man, Kukai dropped the pants he'd brought for Ikuto so his king could wear them. "You ready?"

Nodding, Ikuto made certain that everything that needed to be hidden remained hidden. "As I'll ever be."

Grinning, Kukai backed off so the crowd could see exactly who they were going to listen to that night.

"It's the King!"

Several of the people gathered instantly dropped to their knees while others stared in shock. Ikuto couldn't really blame them. It wasn't every day that the king everyone thought was dead transformed from a panther to a human in front of their eyes. "I am Ikuto, though at the moment, not a king."

The subjects kneeling slowly got to their feet as they listened.

"I was cursed by a witch. During the daylight, I am a panther. During the night, human. Because of this, I was able to travel this country in disguise and see how this kingdom truly works. When I was on the throne, things were tough. Yes, I admit that. I know the mistakes that I made, but I was equally harsh on everyone no matter the amount of money they had or their status. The man pretending to be king has made everything go from bad to worse. The reason you were gathered here tonight is because I cannot leave this kingdom in the hands of that man. The mistakes of my past will remain there. With your help, we'll take back the crown and heal this country to make it prosperous for everyone."

The night was silent as Ikuto's speech sunk into the crowd. It wasn't until Rima stepped forward to bow slightly to Ikuto that others followed. "I will follow the true king!"

Echoes of Rima's statement rang out through the crowd. Ikuto couldn't help but smile at the acrobat. She had more to risk than anyone, though Ikuto hadn't quite asked her of what he needed for her and Nagi to do. "We will strike the castle and cast down Tadase from his fake throne! We will fight and we will succeed!"

Cheers broke out through the crowd as Kukai patted Ikuto on the back. "Nicely done, Kitty-Cat."

"You're lucky that you're Amu's friend."

Grinning, Kukai nudged the king. "I'm lucky that I'm your friend as well."

Ikuto couldn't argue with that. "We will strike with the sun! Rally anyone you can find. Gather anything to use as a weapon. His false rule is over. We will show him that the strength of this country lies in its people and not the wealth he can steal from them!"

Motioning for Rima and Nagihiko to follow him away from the crowd rushing to do as he instructed, Ikuto had the two follow him into Amu's house. "I have a favor to ask of the two of you. It will be dangerous."

Scoffing, Rima crossed her arms as she leaned back against her lover. "Everything we do is dangerous."

Smiling, Ikuto gestured for the two to sit at Amu's table. "This is different from the usual dangerous."

"Would you just tell us what you want?"

"We're going to attack the castle at sunrise."

"You just said that."

Wrapping his arm around Rima's waist, Nagihiko nuzzled into his smaller lover before placing a light kiss on her neck. "Maybe we should let the king finish before we interrupt."

Sighing, Rima just waited for Ikuto to continue.

Grateful for the polite one of the two, Ikuto continued with his request. "The plan is to charge the gates. We'll be much more successful if the gates are open for us to get through."

Catching on rather quickly, Nagihiko tightened his hold on his lover. "You want us to sneak into the castle before the attack and open the gates. If we're caught before the attack we're dead."

"That's why I said it was dangerous. If you don't want to do it then we'll just think of some other way."

Shaking her head, Rima placed her hand on top of Nagi's. "There is no other way or else you wouldn't be asking this of us. We can get in easy enough. We'll get those gates open."

Beyond grateful, Ikuto smiled at the two before him. "I'm going to have to give you some kind of high paying job after all of this, aren't I?"

Looking down at her nails, Rima couldn't keep the smirk off her face. "I've always wanted to be a Duchess."

Laughing, Nagihiko shook his head before getting up from his chair. "If we're going to do this then we need to prepare and leave. Those gates will be open when the sun rises. You have our promise."

Ikuto made certain to shake their hands before they left. The two would never understand how grateful he was for them in that moment.

XXX

The night was already quite late so Amu wasn't expecting the knock at her door. There was no way she wanted to answer it. A late night meeting could never mean anything good. "Who is it?"

"Who do you think it is? Open the door, Amu."

A visit from Tadase so late in the night was definitely worse. "Just a moment."

"Just open the door, Amu."

Scrambling to look for some reason to get out of whatever the man wanted, Amu found nothing. She was going to have to face her captor. Slowly, the pinkette opened the only thing protecting her from the man that wanted inside her room. "Do you need something?"

Scowling at the girl refusing all of his advances, Tadase pushed further into Amu's room. There was no reason for her to not accept his proposal. He'd given her a few days to think it over. He'd promised more than that, but he was an impatient man. "Have you thought about my offer?"

"A little. I thought we agreed that I'd have more time than this to think it over?"

Looking up and down at the girl he wanted, Tadase decided that she'd had long enough. "You should have your answer by now. I've given you long enough."

Biting her bottom lip, Amu took a step back without making it look as though she was trying to distance herself from the male in her room. "It is a very tempting offer. I just…"

"You just what?"

"…Fell in love with someone else."

Angered beyond reason, Tadase stalked closer to the girl that backed away with each step he took. "This isn't about love, Amu."

Hating the way he spit those words at her, Amu kept her distance the best she could. "This has everything to do with love! You're asking me to sacrifice my love for someone else to save my father. You're asking me whether or not my love for a man I haven't seen in years is greater than the man I _love._ This isn't an easy decision. I'm not rejecting you. I'm simply asking that you keep your word and let me have the time we agreed upon to make this decision."

Finally backing the girl against the wall, Tadase pushed until he was well into Amu's personal space. "I will not accept rejection."

"Then allow me the time to prepare myself."

"No."

Sliding to the left, Amu tried to put more distance between her and the deranged man trying to force her into something she didn't want. Unfortunately, Tadase grabbed her arm before she could get away and threw her back up against the wall. "Ouch! Tadase!"

Without thinking about his actions, Tadase backhanded the girl before him. "No! You will do what I want when I want! I am King!"

"You are not! You are not the King! You wish you were but you'll never be as great of a king as Ikuto!"

Slapping the girl again, Tadase gripped her upper arms to shake some sense into the pinkette. "Lies! What would you know of that fool! He's dead! I am the King!"

Amu couldn't help the tears that sprang to her eyes. She tried to think of anything else but the man yelling in her face. She wished she was back in the forest with Ikuto, chasing rabbits and sleeping in trees. Not here. Not with this man.

About to hit the girl again, Tadase paused at the sound of the warning trumpets blaring. Something was happening at the gates. "This isn't over!"

Amu collapsed as soon as he released her. She couldn't stop her tears.

XXX

Standing before his castle, Ikuto turned back to the mob behind him. "Today we take back what is rightfully ours! This kingdom is for the people! The King is for the people!"

The crowd gave its answer. "The people are for the King!"

Turning back just as the sun rose, Ikuto was pleased to see Tadase looking out over the top of a wall. They locked eyes just as the sun hit him. Turning back into his panther form, Ikuto charged with his people behind him just as the gates lifted. Nagi and Rima had completed their task.

.

Morg: And the fight begins!

Ikuto: This is going to be good!

Amu: I better get saved.

Morg: Ah, you want to be with Ikuto!

Ikuto: Of course she does.

Amu: More like, I don't want to be with Tadase.

Morg: Same thing!


	21. Chapter 21

Morg: Heyo! Birthday time!

Ikuto: You should have birthdays more often.

Amu: Why?

Morg: I could…

Ikuto: You'd probably update more if you did.

Amu: You could just find a new hobby.

Morg: I like this one and I update plenty!

Ikuto: It's a good thing you don't own us or no one would know anything about us. You'd take that long to update.

Amu: True!

Morg: Whatever.

**~Human by Night~**

The trees swayed as they stood back in the shadows of them. The sun had already began to lighten the horizon. They didn't have much time before dawn. The task that the king had given them was by no means easy. Sneak into the castle and open the gate. They were more than likely going to have to fight a few guards. Rima had no qualms about killing them. Most of them were traitors or power hungry individuals. The country would be better off without them. Nagihiko, however, was hell bent on getting in and out swiftly. He didn't want anyone to get hurt.

A bird whistled high in the trees. To the guards it would sound as if the forest was beginning to wake up for the day. To Nagi and Rima it meant that their window of opportunity was open and swiftly closing if they didn't hurry. The two acrobats were quick to leave the safety of the trees in order to approach the castle walls. They did so without raising alarm.

"Just like mounting our high rope."

Shaking his head, Nagi braced his arms in order to support Rima's small amount of weight. "This is nothing like that. There is death waiting for you up there."

Smirking as she placed her foot on his clasped hands, Rima leaned forward to place a quick kiss to Nagi's lips. "There is always death waiting for us up there."

The man couldn't argue with that. Instead, he boosted his smaller lover up the wall. She scrambled over the top before dropping the rope she'd had around her shoulder. Everything they did was death defying. The swords were just new to the mix, somewhat. Usually they were the ones carrying them.

After heaving Nagi up behind her, Rima turned to see that their area of the wall was still clear. Their people in the trees were watching carefully to make certain that nothing went wrong. So far they were doing a good job.

Sneaking along the top of the wall, Rima let the way into the watch tower next to the gate. The top floor was empty. The blonde wasn't surprised. Ikuto said that the guard usually changed early in the morning. They would be down underneath exchanging reports and commands. Rima and Nagi only had to make it to the second level to reach the lever that controlled the gate.

Slipping silently down the stairs, Nagi made good use of his ability to be light on his feet as he followed his lover. They didn't have far to go. They didn't have much to do, but if they were caught, the likelihood that they were coming out of it alive was very slim.

Finding the second floor still empty, Nagi moved over to the lever while Rima approached the window. She could see out over the gate from her spot. "They're emerging. We have to get it open now."

"This is heavy."

Abandoning her spot, Rima returned to Nagi's side to force the lever to move. The gears began creaking as the gate began to rise. Shouts echoed up the stairs and footsteps could be heard, but Rima and Nagi didn't stop until they had the gate open.

Pulling out her small dagger, Rima faced the charging guards as they made their way up the stairs and onto the second floor. "We fight for the King! He has returned! Join him or be prepared to die!"

The guard that came through the door first was quick to turn and stab the two behind him. They never stood a chance. "I'm Musashi. I'm for the King!"

Nagihiko gave the other man a nod before they went out to join the group of people flocking into the courtyard. They were already fighting guards. Some had joined their side since they were people far from home and some of the people attacking were friends or family.

Rima gave a nod to the king in his panther form just before he tackled a large man. Quick with her dagger, Rima threw the blade so that it went through another guard's head. The man had been about to deliver a harsh blow to the king. Rima wasn't about to let that happen.

Ikuto rolled to his side before pushing himself up onto his four legs. He saw the other guard go down with Rima's blade in his head. The panther couldn't help but be thankful. The fight was going to be a long one. He was going to need all the help he could get if Ikuto wanted to reach Amu.

Growling as he faced another guard, Ikuto crouched before he pounced. As much as he hated the taste of blood, Ikuto put up with the liquid flooding into his mouth as he bit down on another guard that was loyal to Tadase.

The courtyard was quickly becoming theirs, though Ikuto knew that it was only the beginning. The castle was vast and there were sure to be plenty of Tadase's supporters hidden within it.

With several people staying back to make certain that they didn't lose the courtyard, as Ikuto instructed, the king led more of his supporters into the castle. The front hall didn't have as many guards as Ikuto had been expecting, but it didn't slow the large cat down. He attacked with the rest of his group. They fought through them so they could move on. He would get to Amu, no matter what.

XXX

Tadase watched the battle taking place in the courtyard from a high window in the castle. To have someone dare to attack him. And that one be the king he was searching for to eliminate. The worst part was that the man he'd been looking for turned into the same cat he'd had within his grasp several times. The blasted cat that traveled with Amu. She'd known. The entire time he'd had her in the castle, she'd known exactly where Ikuto was. Tadase was beyond furious.

Pushing away from his window, the fake king stalked down the hall. They might be in the castle, but that didn't mean much. There were plenty of guards between him and them. Every single intruder would be killed before they ever had the chance to reach him. In the end, Tadase would still have the crown and Amu will be his queen. He thought her reluctance was rather clear now. He understood exactly why she was putting off accepting his offer. She was hopeful that Ikuto would save her. Tadase planned to let her know that it wasn't going to happen.

Throwing open the door to Amu's chambers, Tadase strolled in to find the pinkette watching from her window. She was giving little fist pumps whenever someone she didn't like died. At least, that's what Tadase assumed she was doing. "You think because he's here he's going to save you?"

Jumping to her feet, Amu turned to see a not so pleased looking Tadase staring at her. "Tadase."

Scoffing, Tadase leaned against the door he'd just closed. "You seem so surprised to see me. Did you think that Ikuto would come and save you? He's no longer the king."

All this time she'd been putting on a smile and acting as though everything was all right. Now Amu could see that acting that way wouldn't get her anything. Tadase was done with her resistance. Though, with Ikuto in the castle, fighting to get to her, Amu didn't have to deal with the false king before her for much longer. "Ikuto is the true king."

Any humor that Tadase had attempted to maintain faded quickly at the sound of Amu's comment. "I AM THE KING! Do you know how many soldiers are between him and you? Do you know how many men I've bought? He'll never reach here! He'll never reach you!"

Amu moved quickly out of Tadase's reach as the blond attempted to grab her. No more would she allow his greed to affect her. "You think you can stop him? You think he'll be stopped? That man is greater than you'll ever be! He has the country behind him now! He didn't have to use money to get it, either. No, the people support him because he's the true king! You might sit in his throne, but you'll never rule."

"Fool!" Tadase wasn't aware of what he was doing until Amu was on the floor holding her cheek. "You dare say that to me?! I hold your life in my hands! I hold everyone's lives in my hands! I rule this kingdom! It is mine!"

Tears stung her eyes from the force of the hit. Amu knew that she'd pushed too far, but Tadase wasn't about to come out of this situation alive. Too many people were fighting for Ikuto. Slowly, the pinkette pushed herself to her feet. "You own nothing and you are nothing."

Backing away, Tadase opened the door before glaring at the girl he would make his queen. Despite her clear reluctance, Amu was the prize he wanted seated beside him. Stealing her from Ikuto would be only that much better. "Let him get this far. I'll be waiting for him, and you can watch as I kill him."

Amu threw herself at the door as Tadase slammed it shut. Beating her fists against the inside, she screamed at the man that trapped her there. She screamed for Ikuto.

XXX

Digging his claws into another guard, Ikuto panted as he released the now dead man. There were many within the castle, but he had the endurance and strength to take out as many as he had to. Traveling with Amu had given him that.

Her scent was there, lingering in the halls. Ikuto only had to follow it and he would find her. The country may be what the fight was about, but Ikuto couldn't help but put Amu's safety before everything else. He had to get to her before Tadase could do something to her. The man knew who he was now. There was no telling what he would do once he connected the dots and realized that Amu had known all along.

Lifting his nose to the air, Ikuto found traces of the man he truly wanted to kill. It would only be a matter of time until he reached him. Tired and exhausted, Ikuto planned on taking Tadase down. He would not give up until the man that tried to ruin his kingdom was dead.

.

Morg: So everything is coming together!

Ikuto: This better not have a sucky ending.

Amu: You mean, where you die?

Morg: Wouldn't that be exciting?

Ikuto: No.

Amu: It could.

Morg: We'll have to just see what happens!

Ikuto: You say that like you don't already know.

Amu: You better have the ending planned.

Morg: :D


	22. Chapter 22

Morg: Heyo! Update time!

Ikuto: I don't like how close to the end of this story we are.

Amu: Why not? I think it's great!

Morg: Don't be stupid, Ikuto. It's not like I'm going to end it poorly.

Ikuto: You know what it needs to be a great ending?

Amu: No!

Morg: I think I know.

Ikuto: I hope you do.

Amu: NO!

Morg: I might be able to work something out.

Ikuto: I would appreciate that.

Amu: You don't own us! You can't make me do anything!

Morg: I have no idea what you're talking about.

Ikuto: Whoa, calm down, Amu.

Amu: I hate both of you!

**~Human by Night~**

Something wasn't right. Ikuto couldn't pinpoint what made his fur stand on end, but something was amiss. The halls were quiet. A little too quiet, but the panther that was the king figured that had something to do with some of the guards switching sides. The men that had been hired by Tadase were being forced to fight against their families. Many refused to do so and threw down their weapons.

However, Ikuto knew that that wasn't the reason for his sense to be on edge. The giant cat was exhausted. He'd fought through the castle guards that remained loyal to the false king. A feat that had taken him most of the day. The sun was already beginning to sink below the horizon. The battle was gruesome, but it was worth every bit of strength. They would not leave the kingdom in the hands of a madman.

Slinking around another corner, Ikuto was thankful for this quiet steps. As a panther, he was silent when he moved. The pads on the bottom of his feet made moving without a sound possible. A trait that Ikuto was beyond grateful for at the moment. Amu's scent was growing stronger. He knew that she was being kept in the part of the castle he was now moving through. The true king only had to figure out which scent trail was the newest and follow it.

Ears pricking forward, Ikuto caught the sound of forlorn sobs. His chest tightened as he realized that Amu was the one making the noise. He couldn't mistake the sound of her voice for anyone else's. Not after spending so much time with her. A soft growl rumbled deep within his chest. Tadase would pay for making Amu cry.

Without hesitation, Ikuto moved towards the door that he knew Amu was behind. She was right there. Her scent washed over him. The smell of salt from her tears was thick in his nose. It made him forget everything else as he let out a whine at the door. She needed to open it for him. Ikuto couldn't do it in his panther form.

Hearing the noise, Amu gasped. She pressed her ear towards the door only to hear the sound of breathing. There was no doubt that it was Ikuto. But if he was there then that meant that Tadase was going to hurt him. "Ikuto! Please! Go somewhere else! Tadase is waiting for you! This is a trap!"

The words barely made it through the door before a solid kick was landed against his side. Ikuto's breath rushed from his lungs as he hit the wall and fell to the floor. Amu's screams were louder in his ears after his impact. Tadase had been waiting.

Smirking down at the cat at his feet, Tadase didn't bother to pull his sword from where it hung at his belt. It was the king's sword. How sweet it would be to kill Ikuto with it. "Took you long enough to get here. I almost got bored and went in to play with Amu for a while."

Hissing because of the words being spoken and not because of the pain he felt as he stood, Ikuto kept his body turned so that he wasn't directly facing Tadase. The idiot wasn't going to corner him. Not when so much was at stake. Ikuto couldn't lose. Not for himself, not for Amu and not for his country.

Laughing at the pathetic sound of the old king, Tadase cocked out his hip while dangling a key for the panther to see. He felt slightly like a fool for talking to an animal, but there was no doubt in his mind that the panther before him was Ikuto. He wasn't going to make that mistake twice. Midnight never was. "I have the key. She can't get out, but I can go in. I'll make her my queen after you're dead. Before you die, I want you to know that she'll be screaming for me every fucking night."

Growling, Ikuto bared his fangs. He might have been the one with fur but Tadase was the true beast. No man should ever touch a woman without her consent. There was no way in hell that Ikuto was going to allow the other to taint Amu. Whether she chose him or not, Amu would not be subjected to Tadase's abuse any longer.

Pleased that the cat looked so pissed, Tadase couldn't help but widen his smirk. "Maybe I'll keep you alive for a while longer so that you can see me take her."

The words were too much. Ikuto couldn't stand to hear them. Without thinking his actions completely through, he lunged. Tadase had been taunting him. Ikuto knew that, but that didn't change the fact that he was beyond pissed.

Expecting the attack, Tadase countered by shifting his weight and throwing the tired panther at a different wall. The thud as the animal hit the brick was satisfying. It almost made it possible for him to ignore the sting across his chest from where giant claws ripped through his clothing and tore into his flesh. "Fighting your way here wasn't your first mistake, _Midnight_. Now you're exhausted. Killing you will only be all too easy."

Having moved quickly back to his feet, Ikuto kept his eyes on the false king. Tadase might be right in the fact that Ikuto was tired, but that didn't mean that the true king would be so easily disposed of. Not when he was so close to completing his goal. Amu was right behind the door that stood just on the other side of Tadase. They had to get through it so that he knew Amu could escape and get to safety. Not until she was out did Ikuto think he'd be able to focus on killing the man before him. Then again, killing Tadase would grant him access to the key. Then he'd only have to wait to shift so that he could unlock the door.

Seeing that his opponent wasn't about to get back up anytime soon, Tadase moved to swing the key around on his finger by the strap connected to it. "Giving up already? Well fine then. Let's have some fun before you die."

Waiting for Tadase to turn slightly to be able to get to the door, Ikuto tensed his muscles. He had one real chance to take the other male down. His strength was quickly leaving. The battle was wearing on him. Killing Tadase wouldn't be easy.

Sliding the key into the lock, Tadase listened as Amu scrambled away from the door. The girl was still crying, but he was only going to make her cry louder. "Your Prince Charming has already given up, Amu-chan. He can't even get off the floor. You put all your hope into a worthless pers-"

Lunging again, Ikuto hit Tadase just as the man turned the handle to Amu's door. The wooden object flew open to slam against the wall. A crack was heard, though Ikuto wasn't worried about anything being broken. Not at the moment. Instead, he focused on sinking his claws into every inch of Tadase's skin that he could reach. The smell of blood became stronger as the two struggled.

Amu screamed as the door flew open. The flash of dark blue fur was all she saw before realizing that Ikuto was attacking Tadase. Backing away against the wall, she watched in horror as the panther fought to bite at the bastard's neck. The flash of silver caught her eye, but the words of warning died in her throat as Ikuto's cry pierced the air. "NO!"

Unable to unsheathe his sword while preventing his death, Tadase moved for a dagger instead. The panther clawing at him didn't stand a chance as the metal object was thrust between ribs. "Fucking bastard! You'll fucking die!"

Pain enveloped his senses, though Ikuto only felt it numb as his eyes moved from Tadase's pissed face to Amu's scared one. He couldn't fail her. Not now. With most of his strength, Ikuto kicked Tadase off of him. The force made the false king hit the glass doors that lead to the dark balcony outside. They cracked, but didn't break.

Amu took a step towards the hurt panther. There was no way that she was going to allow Ikuto to die. Not when he'd done so much to save her. Not when she needed him. "Ikuto!"

Getting to his feet while wiping at the blood on his face, Tadase couldn't help but pant. The bite marks that his body now adorned hurt like a bitch. Some of them went deeper than he would have liked. His left arm wasn't moving the way that it was supposed to. "The blade went deep. You don't have long to live. Might as well just give into death now."

Tears that she didn't know she had blurred her vision as Amu moved closer to the hurt panther struggling to get up. It wasn't until Tadase made a move to get closer to Ikuto that she snapped. Screaming again, this time in rage, Amu picked up the bloody dagger from the floor before charging at the man that would never be king. "You bastard!"

The attack was stronger than he anticipated. Tadase was thrown back against the doors again. This time they broke open as Amu's weight followed his. The girl was quick on her feet, Tadase knew that. The way she held the blade in her hands told him that she was quite skilled with the weapon. However, he had a sword. Drawing his weapon, he stared at the pinkette. "You have one chance to put it down. As much as I want you as my queen, I won't hesitate to kill you."

Scoffing, Amu switched hands with the blade while keeping her slightly crouched position. "I will never be your queen. You will never be king!"

Without the proper time to deflect the dagger from hitting him full on, Tadase caught his own blade in his right shoulder. His arms were difficult to control, though he kept a hold of his sword. "You bitch!"

Ignoring the fact that the other was armed, Amu attacked. The dress that she wore didn't help with her movements, but there was no way that she was going to allow Tadase to win. Not when Ikuto was dying. Not when he needed her.

The kick to his left arm was painful enough to drop Tadase to his knees. He hadn't been able to lift the sword in time to stop the attacking girl. She was able to land a solid blow on him. Gathering his strength, he resigned himself to killing them both. There were other beauties for him to choose from.

Ikuto watched as Amu moved away from the injured man. The night was dark, though the light from Amu's room lit the balcony enough for the other two, Ikuto could see better due to his cat eyes. Still, his body was aching. The last of his strength was leaving him. The need to finish this, to be done with the man before him was all that got him to his feet. Without a second thought, Ikuto staggered forward. The other two were too busy with each other that they didn't notice him. Not yet. Ikuto was glad for that.

With strength he didn't know that he still possessed, the panther threw himself at the other male. They were both knocked off balance as Tadase hit the wall of the balcony. The drop was more than three flights. The other wouldn't survive it in his condition. It was what Ikuto wanted.

Kicking his back feet against the ground, Ikuto listened as Tadase screamed. A hand sunk into his fur, pulling him along with the flailing man. Even if they went over the edge together, Ikuto didn't care. Amu would be safe.

Seeing that Tadase was pulling Ikuto with him over the edge, Amu leapt forward. There was no way that she was going to let Ikuto's life slip through her fingers. Catching his hips in her hands, Amu tugged him backwards. The cat let out a cry as fur was ripped from his body, but Amu was only thankful that he wasn't falling with Tadase.

Tears leaked from her eyes as she sat on the brick floor with Ikuto in her lap. Amu didn't bother to move until the sickening sound of Tadase hitting the ground below reached her ears. They'd managed to kill him. "Ikuto, we won."

There was no response. Ikuto didn't have the strength.

Picking her head up from where it rested against the panther before her, Amu moved quickly to lay the injured king down. "Ikuto! Ikuto! You have to hang in there! Ikuto! KAIRI! KAIRI, PLEASE!"

Hearing the screams and knowing exactly where they came from, Kairi raced into the castle. Amu sounded as though it were life and death. The doctor didn't have a second to waste.

The night didn't wait for any of the people fighting amidst its darkness. It crept along, nearing its height.

Gasping, Ikuto felt the familiar tingling of his transformations start. His already tattered body shifted from beast to man. His hands moved to cover the wound in his side as he lifted his eyes to look up at Amu's frantic face. She was still screaming for Kairi. Ikuto knew the other wasn't going to make it. They'd won, but he was still going to have to pay a price. "Amu."

Her name was said so softly that Amu almost missed the sound of it. Almost. Dropping her gaze, she met Ikuto's dark eyes. The life that she was used to seeing in them wasn't there. "Don't you fucking die on me! Do you hear me?!"

There was no way for him to hold back his chuckles. Even while dying, Ikuto couldn't help but fall a little more in love with Amu. "Amu, you are everything. Everything I've ever wanted. I love you."

The words were so difficult to understand that she almost couldn't. Her tears didn't help as she shook her head. There was no way that she was accepting his confession. "Don't fucking confess to me now! You asshole! Do it when you're better and stronger and can hold a ball for me or something. Don't say you love me as if you're saying goodbye."

Try as he might, Ikuto didn't have the strength to lift his hand to touch her cheek one last time. His vision was failing. His world was turning as black as the rest of the night. "I love you."

Weeping, Amu dropped her head to Ikuto's bloody chest. His heart was beating, but the sound was so soft compared to her wracking sobs. Then, she couldn't hear anything anymore.

Panting as he finally reached the right room, Kairi couldn't help the dread that filled him at the sight before him. The way Amu was clutching Ikuto told him everything he needed to know. The king had died to save them all.

Moving forward, Kairi removed his cloak to drape it over Ikuto's naked form before placing his hand on Amu's shoulder in a way that he hoped comforted her. "Even though he was fighting for the kingdom, Ikuto never forgot about you. You were the one he truly wanted to save, Amu. To put someone else's life before his own, Ikuto is a true king."

Lifting her head, Amu ignored the words from the doctor. Her heart wasn't ready to accept that Ikuto was dead. It couldn't be. "You're an idiot."

Tears fell onto Ikuto's face. The man didn't flinch. No part of him would move anymore.

Caressing the king's face, Amu leaned forward. "An idiot for confessing to me like that. For dying before I could tell you my response. Before I could tell you that I love you, too. You bastard. You can't leave before I say it. That isn't fair. You should have waited for my response."

Watching Amu cry over the man they'd all placed their trust in was heartbreaking for Kairi to see. The doctor had to turn away.

Closing her eyes, Amu closed the gap between her and her panther. Ikuto might be the king, but he was also hers. Amu was never going to let him go. Breaking the kiss, she told him once more about her feelings. "I love you."

.

Morg: Well, there you go.

Ikuto: Holy fucking shit!

Amu: What a chapter.

Morg: My brain hurts.

Ikuto: I don't even have words. You killed me.

Amu: Damn.

Morg: Until next time!


	23. Chapter 23

Morg: Heyo!

Ikuto: Don't.

Amu: He's still upset that you killed him.

Morg: Really?

Ikuto: Seriously?

Amu: I don't get it either. You don't own us.

Morg: Oh well.

Ikuto: If you actually kill me I'm going to be pissed!

**~Human by Night~**

Feeling completely at a loss of what he should do, Kairi simply stood quietly and watched as Amu cried. He could save people only if they were still alive. Ikuto wasn't. Never had Kairi felt so devastated by the loss of a life.

Knowing that the doctor was still there, Amu took a few steadying breaths as she cradled Ikuto's head into her lap. As much as she didn't want to admit that this was happening, she knew that she couldn't deny it. "Kairi… Could you give me some time? Let me say goodbye."

Kairi found himself nodding as he backed away. Amu wasn't looking at him, though the doctor decided that was for the best. Seeing her pain would only crush him more. The doctor wasn't sure he'd be able to walk away if he could see Amu's anguish. "I'll go out then. Take your time."

Tears dripped down onto Ikuto's unflinching face as Amu tried to hold herself together until the door shut behind the doctor. The pain inside her heart felt as though it was ripping her entire being to pieces. Ikuto couldn't leave her like this. Sniffling, Amu lowered her forehead until it met Ikuto's. "Don't go. Please, don't leave me."

Gripping the coat that Kairi had put over Ikuto's form, Amu buried her face against the king's chest. Her tears quickly soaked the fabric beneath her. Amu could still feel the warmth of Ikuto's body as she held him. This would be the last time that she was able to hold the man she loved in her arms. As much as Amu wanted to stop time, the pinkette knew that she couldn't.

Amu's tears slowed the moment she felt a surge of electricity rush through her. She sat up quickly to stare down at Ikuto in confusion. The pinkette had been around the other often enough when he transformed to know that particular feeling of magic. Ikuto was dead. There was no reason for the magic to still be flowing through his veins.

Gasping as Ikuto's form was enveloped by a bright light, Amu shielded her eyes with both of her arms. The weight of Ikuto's head on her thighs disappeared. As hard as she tried, Amu couldn't open her eyes to see what was happening. The light was too bright. Her eyes were automatically blinded when she tried to open them.

Crying out in alarm due to the fact that she couldn't see what was happening, Amu kept her eyes shut as she swung her arms before her. No matter how she tried, Amu couldn't find where Ikuto's body had gone. Her hands could not reach him.

The light began to dim, allowing Amu to be able to open her eyes just in time to see Ikuto's body, bathed in a fading light, falling back to the floor of the balcony. He landed softly as sparks faded from the air. The king looked the same has he always had. Kairi's coat still covering his naked form.

Amu held her breath as she waited for something to happen. Ikuto didn't move. Not at first. Eyes tracing every inch of the man she loved to look for some sort of difference, Amu couldn't see one. Whatever the light had been, it hadn't done anything. At least, that's what she thought until she watched his chest rise ever so slowly before falling.

Scrambling forward to once again be at Ikuto's side, Amu pressed her hand to Ikuto's chest. It rose and fell as his breathing slowly became stronger. Her own breath caught in her throat.

Crying for an entirely different reason, Amu pressed her ear to the spot her hand had rested on in order to hear the king's beating heart. The sound was faint, but it was there. Rushing to sit up, Amu snatched one of Ikuto's hands from where it laid on the ground. "KAIRI!"

The doctor jumped in the hall as his name was shouted so loudly. He hadn't been expecting Amu to call him like that. She didn't sound as distraught or panicked as she had before. There was something different in her tone as she called for him this time. Not bothering to think about it for a moment longer, the doctor rushed back into the room where the king had died. "What!? What is it?"

Pulling Ikuto's hand to her lips, Amu placed a light kiss against the warm flesh. "He's alive."

The pinkette looked beautiful to the doctor as she looked up at him with tears hanging off her eyelashes. Happiness shown through her eyes, causing Kairi to temporarily lose his ability to breathe. There was no doubt in his mind that Ikuto loved this girl.

Thoughts rushing out as his mind finally understood what Amu had said, Kairi dropped to his knees to examine the king. Ikuto was breathing. Slowly, Kairi lifted the coat that he'd placed on the other to cover his naked form. The wound that had been there before was no more. "This was magic. What happened?"

Holding Ikuto's hand against her cheek, Amu couldn't help but smile. "A bright light lifted him into the air. It must have healed him. Tell me that he's going to be okay."

It truly was magic. There was no doubt in the doctor's mind that magic had to be a part of what had happened. The king shouldn't have been alive. The wound in his side, along with fatigue from all the fighting that he'd done, had killed him. And yet, Ikuto was breathing. "I don't know. Let's get him moved inside and to a bed. His wound is gone. He should be fine."

XXX

The group that had come together in the throne room were the ones that had been closest to Ikuto. Amu sat on the steps leading up to the throne. The empty chair might have been right there, but it was Ikuto's. The pinkette couldn't imagine anyone else sitting in it. The Queen's spot was left empty as well.

Looking at the people that stood at various spots around the room, Amu rested her chin in her hands as she propped her elbows up on her knees. "So what do we do? Ikuto has been sleeping for two days. This country needs help now. We need to start doing whatever we can."

From where she was leaning against a pillar, Utau nodded. "We do, but we also need someone to take control. Ikuto no longer has a working court. Tadase wiped them out."

Kukai's eyes rose to meet Utau's as the blacksmith lifted his head. "He never spoke to me about what he was going to start doing once he got his kingdom back. We only talked about winning this fight."

Kairi was quick to murmur his agreement. Never had he heard the king talk about plans for after they'd rescued Amu.

Shaking her head, Amu ran her fingers through her hair. "Ikuto only spoke about fixing things. Helping the people that needed his help. We can do that. We can set things in motion to start helping those that Ikuto knew needed help."

This time, Kairi traded glances with Utau. "Amu, you know so much about it."

"Of course I do. I traveled the country with Ikuto."

Pushing off the wall and taking a step forward, Utau clasped her hands in front of herself. "Until Ikuto wakes up, we need someone to step in as acting ruler."

Furrowing her brows, Amu stared at the ground. They didn't have someone that could just do that. Who could they find that everyone would recognize as being on Ikuto's side? "But who could we get to do that?"

Grinning, Kukai rubbed the back of his head as he averted his gaze from the pinkette on the stairs. What they were thinking was going to be a lot for Amu to handle. "You, Amu."

Shocked, the pinkette switched her eyes from one to the next as she looked at her friends. There was no hint of humor in any of their gazes. "Me? You can't be serious. I grew up in the woods. I don't know anything about running a kingdom. I can't do this."

Smiling, Utau moved closer to her friend. "The things that have been happening to us over the last several months have changed us. You are the only person that knows exactly what Ikuto wants. Everyone that followed him into this attack knew that we were coming to save you. Who else would be able to get things done? We'll follow whatever you think is right, Amu. All of us."

The still shocked girl couldn't believe that they were being serious. There were so many mistakes that she was bound to make. People were surely going to get angry at her. There wasn't even a guarantee that Ikuto was going to be pleased with what she'd done when he woke up. However, if they had faith in her abilities, then Amu knew that she had to try. For herself. For Ikuto. For everyone in the kingdom.

XXX

Running a kingdom was harder than Amu could ever imagine. The reasons that Ikuto had ruled with an iron fist before made so much more sense to her now. Corruption was everywhere. Not just within the elite or the rich. Even those with nothing were crooked. It was all she could do to focus on helping the people that needed help until Ikuto woke up. The weeks that slipped by while he was asleep only worried her more.

Checking up on her friend, Utau entered the throne room late in the evening. Amu had set up a table and chair in front of the throne as an area for her to do work. She refused to use Ikuto's office or his throne because they weren't hers. Utau understood her reasoning. So did the rest of the people. "Are you going to sleep tonight?"

Looking up from the paper in her hands, Amu smiled at her friend. As tired as she was, the pinkette knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep for several more hours. "Maybe later. I have some more claims to go through."

Sitting on a second chair, Utau rested her elbows on Amu's work table. "Are you going to go through the dungeons?"

Hesitating for only a second, Amu shuffled some more papers. "I'm not going to do that. Ikuto can decide what he wants to do when he wakes up. I will not change what he decided before."

"But we talked about this. He was going to change his rulings anyways."

"Yes, and he can do so when he wakes up."

"Your father is down there, Amu. Don't you want to see him?"

Dropping the papers onto the table, Amu stood up. "I do. More than anything, but you guys put me in charge of this kingdom until Ikuto wakes up. I don't have time to do selfish things. Children are still starving and cold and sick. My father has spent years in the prison. A few more days won't hurt him."

Utau didn't know what to say as Amu left the room. Her friend looked more than distraught, but the blonde knew that there was nothing they could do for her. Ikuto was the only one, but he was still sleeping.

Ignoring the burn in her eyes that signaled that she felt like crying, Amu continued down the hall. The things that she'd said to Utau were true, however, they weren't completely accurate. There was one thing that Amu did every single day for no other purpose but for herself. She visited Ikuto.

Slipping into his room, Amu closed the door gently behind her before approaching the bed. Standing for just a moment to watch Ikuto breathe, the acting ruler of the country let out a sigh of relief. Ever since she'd seen him die, Amu needed to see that he was alive. She would take sleeping for however long Ikuto needed to sleep as long as he stayed alive.

Approaching the bed just as silently as she'd entered the room, Amu sat on the edge before running her fingers through Ikuto's dark blue hair. "Hey, I hope you're dreaming of something good. I moved Yaya's orphanage today. There are too many children in it for her to take care of. So I brought them here. The entire south wing of your castle isn't used anyways. They'll be much more comfortable here. Plus, Yaya will get the help that she needs to care for them. They'll be arriving within the week."

Fixing the blankets that were pulled up to the king's chest, Amu ran her fingers down one of Ikuto's arms until her fingers were tangled in his. "I miss you. Wake up soon, please."

Finally bringing her eyes to rest on Ikuto's face, Amu let them linger on Ikuto's lips. Lips that she hadn't kissed since she confessed after he'd died. The thought continued to haunt her mind. There was no doubt that they would feel different against hers since Ikuto was breathing.

Tearing her eyes away, Amu let a few of her tears fall. The man she loved wasn't dead, but he also wasn't waking up. In those few moments that she spent with him in the evening, Amu allowed for her emotions to overwhelm her. Ikuto was the only person that made her feel safe enough to let go of everything else.

Wiping at her face, Amu sniffled as she tried to find her self-control once again. Bawling her eyes out wouldn't solve her current problems. "Just wake up soon."

Without thinking her actions through, Amu leaned forward to place a rather wet kiss-due to her tears-against Ikuto's lips. With one final deep breath, she left the room to head to her own.

Alone in the dim room that he'd been resting in for quite a while, Ikuto moved for the first time since before he died. Slowly, his fingers flexed. After that, Ikuto moved his hand to his face as he groaned. The king felt like he'd been hit by a carriage. His entire body was sore. There was also something wet on his cheeks.

Moving as slowly as possible, Ikuto sat up on his bed. The king took a few seconds to look around the room and realize that he was actually in his room. Being there had to mean that he'd done it. There was no other reason for him to be alive besides that he'd won and took his kingdom back over.

Still not limber, Ikuto moved out of his bed, found clothes and left his room. There was no doubt in his mind that there were things that he needed to do. He was king, after all.

Finding Kukai first, Ikuto coughed to catch the blacksmith's attention. The look of surprise he got was sort of ridiculous. Why was the other looking at him as if he couldn't believe that he was standing? "What?"

Rushing to the king's side, Kukai punched the standing man on the arm. "We've been waiting forever, man! I'm so glad to see you standing."

Confused by the outburst, and rubbing his arm because it hurt, Ikuto scrunched up his eyebrows as he tried to figure out what the blacksmith was talking about. "How long have I been asleep?"

Grin only widening, Kukai moved so that Ikuto could join him at the table the blacksmith had been at. Amu wasn't the only one doing a lot of work. "It has been almost a full month since we took back the castle."

Ikuto was glad that he was already in the process of sitting down. No wonder he'd woken up with wet cheeks. There was no doubt that someone had been in his room to see him before he woke up. Someone that was crying. "A month? What… What has everyone been doing for a month?"

Sitting back in his chair with his hands folded behind his head, Kukai grinned at the king. "Working. Someone had to put the country back into order while you took your little snooze."

"Surely, no one let you be in charge."

Laughing, Kukai shook his head. "Oh no, not me. Although, the person we did select has been doing such an amazing job that I don't think I want you to wake up."

Gritting his teeth though he knew the other was teasing him, Ikuto narrowed his eyes. "Who is it, Kukai?"

The blacksmith barely got the name out of his mouth before the king was on his way out the door. "Amu."

Ikuto's heart skipped a beat in his chest. There was no doubt in his mind that Amu had been the one in his room to see him. The tears that he'd brushed from his cheeks belonged to her. She was somewhere in the castle and he desperately needed to find her.

.

Morg: Boom.

Ikuto: That's right. I'm alive.

Amu: Yeah…

Morg: Don't worry, you'll be more excited by the next chapter.

Ikuto: I better be.

Amu: I hope not.


	24. Chapter 24

Morg: Heyo! The fact that I'm almost finished with this story makes me sad.

Ikuto: I won't be sad if you make the last chapters really good.

Amu: Yeah! Like, I get my freedom and Ikuto is stuck in the castle so I never have to see him again.

Morg: That doesn't sound like a good ending at all.

Ikuto: Agreed.

Amu: A girl can hope.

Morg: I may not own you, but I certainly own the plot.

Ikuto: That ending will never happen.

Amu: *Shrugs*

**~Human by Night~**

Being that his castle was quite large and Ikuto didn't exactly know where Amu's room was, the king had to do a bit of searching. His journey down the halls took him past his throne room, which made him pause in his step. Ikuto couldn't remember seeing a table set up there when he'd run through during the fight on his way to Amu, which meant that it was a new addition to the castle.

Slowly approaching the table, Ikuto let his eyes skim over the papers scattered around on top. There was a letter from Yaya that caught his eye. The girl was excited about their journey to the castle. It was addressed to Amu. So this was where the pinkette had been doing all her work.

Moving around so that he could sit down in the chair, Ikuto finished skimming the letter. Amu had moved the orphanage to the castle. She was a smart girl. There was a large part of the castle that was hardly ever used that would be perfect for those children. They'd grow up better there than the place they'd been in before.

Unable to help himself, Ikuto wondered if Yoru was making the trip, as well. That little boy would have a difficult time of it. If he made it, then Ikuto was going to have Kairi do whatever he could for the child. Ikuto didn't want any of them to suffer.

Dropping the letter, Ikuto looked through some of the other notes that Amu had left on her makeshift desk. The pinkette definitely had been busy during the month that she'd been ruling the kingdom. Already, she was shifting through people to find members of his new court. It would have to be built up from the ground since Tadase had destroyed it.

From all the notes that he could look through, Ikuto noticed that Amu was only doing things to get the country to start running properly again. The girl hadn't done anything to overturn any of the decisions that Ikuto had made in the past. In fact, there was a stack of things she hadn't touched on her desk. There were letters from other countries asking for treaties now that Tadase was no longer in charge. Amu hadn't replied with anything except to say that once King Ikuto was able to speak with them, he would.

The other thing that Ikuto noticed Amu hadn't done, was emptying the dungeons. Tadase hadn't cared who was there and who wasn't while he ruled. He'd put even more people in there. No one had left. Ikuto had thought that Amu would surely get some of the people out of there that didn't deserve to be there.

"You know, I asked her if she was going to release her father."

Glancing up from the paper that he was looking at, Ikuto's gaze caught sight of Utau leaning against the wall in the back of the room. "What did she say?"

Shrugging, Utau moved forwards. She hadn't believed Kukai when the blacksmith had told her that Ikuto was awake. Not until she'd found him for herself had she believed. "That she wouldn't overturn any of your previous rulings. She didn't let us make her be in charge so that she could go against everything you'd ever done. Amu didn't want people to think that she didn't care what laws you'd had in the past. The girl is a stubborn one. Said her father could make it until you let him out yourself."

Nodding, Ikuto looked back down at the requests that Amu still hadn't gotten to. The girl had definitely been busy. Ikuto was more impressed than not to find most of his kingdom in working condition. Especially since he'd been asleep for a month. "Well, I'm awake now. She doesn't have to worry about anything anymore."

Utau couldn't help the smile toying with her lips. "She has the room just down the hall from yours, you know? Wanted to be close by in case anything happened."

Now that he knew where she was, Ikuto wasn't going to have any difficulty finding her. "Hmmm… She's smart. No wonder you picked her."

Rolling her eyes, Utau left the king to whatever it was that he was doing. Ikuto's body language told her that he was quite eager to go and find the girl that had substituted for him. The only reason he hadn't raced off when Utau had told him exactly where to find her was because he clearly didn't want to seem too eager in front of her. The blonde really couldn't understand some things.

Waiting for a few more minutes after Utau left just to make certain that the blonde wasn't still in the hall, Ikuto slowly rose from the chair he'd been sitting in. Everything sitting on Amu's desk could wait until morning. There was something much more important that Ikuto had to do that night.

With his destination known, Ikuto had a much easier time finding the room that Amu was sleeping in. The dim light from a few candles that she'd left burning on the table across the room from her bed allowed Ikuto to make out her soft features as she slept. Her pink hair fanned out on the pillow around her head.

Sitting down slowly so that he wouldn't disturb her too much, Ikuto gently ran his finger along Amu's cheek. Even asleep, the girl looked tired. No doubt running the kingdom and worrying about him was taking its toll on Amu's health. The girl definitely needed a break.

Ikuto hadn't meant to wake the girl up, but she stirred beneath his touch anyways. Golden eyes fluttered open as Amu blinked up at him. "Hey."

Stretching, Amu let out a yawn as her eyes focused on Ikuto once more. "I-Ikuto?"

Smiling, Ikuto cupped the side of the tired girl's face. Amu was simply beautiful. "I'm sorry to wake you."

Quickly sitting up on her bed, Amu's hand caught Ikuto's before it could fall. "No! No, it's okay. I'd rather you wake me up then not know that you're awake."

There was so much that Ikuto wanted to say. So much that he thought he should explain, but the words escaped him as he stared into her lovely eyes. "You're tired. Go back to sleep."

Those whispers sounded so good to her ears, mostly because Ikuto was the one saying them. "Stay."

Chuckling, Ikuto couldn't help but allow himself to be tugged into Amu's bed by the grip she had on his hand as she moved over to make room for him. "Why? I've been sleeping for so long already. There are things I need to do."

Shaking her head, Amu forced the king to lay down beside her. "Those things can wait. Don't leave me again."

Those pleading words were the reason that Ikuto stayed. Gently, he ran his fingers through Amu's hair to lure her back into sleep. Her grip on his hand never loosened, even as she drifted back into sleep. Ikuto wasn't going to pull away from her even if it had.

XXX

Amu had no doubt that it was morning. The light behind her eyelids was brighter than it would be if it was still dark. The fact that it was morning made the girl groan without opening her eyes just yet. With all the duties that she had to take care of, Amu didn't want to let the dream she'd had go just yet.

This not being her first time to dream of Ikuto waking up, Amu held back the pang she felt in her chest. There was no way that she could allow the hurt of knowing it was still just a dream overtake her. Even if she was still in her bed, she still had to get up in a few minutes. Before she left her room, Amu would put on her strong front.

Her dream had been so vivid. Amu could still smell Ikuto's husky scent as if he'd really been there. Unfortunately, she knew that it wasn't possible. He was asleep in his own bed like he had been for the last several weeks. Someday he might wake. The magic that had saved his life was keeping him alive while he slept. Amu knew that she only had to wait.

Blinking her eyes open as she ran her fingers through her hair, Amu got ready to sit up and face her day. Yaya and the children would be arriving soon. Amu had to make certain that the part of the castle she'd given them was ready for their arrival. Lying in bed and wishing dreams were true wouldn't make things get done.

A weight that Amu hadn't noticed around her waist made getting up rather difficult. Throwing back her blankets, the pinkette found Ikuto asleep in her bed. Instantly, tears pooled in her eyes. Either she hadn't been dreaming the night before and Ikuto really had come to her this time, or someone was playing an incredibly cruel joke on her. Amu hoped that it was the first.

Stirring because Amu had moved, Ikuto groaned before rubbing his face and turning slightly on his side. He might have slept for a month, but that didn't mean he was completely rested. Besides, he kind of figured it was more of a magical sleep than a real sleep. There was no real way for him to know what broke the spell. "Amu, stop moving."

Hearing that voice, tired and as mumbled as those words were, Amu felt her heart skip a beat. Ikuto was awake. Well, sort of, but he was no longer in that comatose state he'd been in when she'd left him the night before. "Ikuto."

The almost frightened way that Amu had said his name caused Ikuto to wake up more than he already was. He knew they weren't in any danger of being attacked, but Amu still sounded like she was frightened that he would disappear if she so much as breathed. Wanting to put the girl at ease, Ikuto forced himself to wake up. "Hey, good morning."

Amu was torn between laughing, crying or hitting Ikuto. He sleeps for a month and then comes to her room in the middle of the night and all he says is good morning? The tears won out, though Amu didn't know if they were from anger or happiness. "You idiot."

Sitting up rather quickly, Ikuto pulled Amu into his arms as she cried. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Y-You slept for a month! A month! And I had to watch you die first!"

If Amu hated him forever then Ikuto would never blame her. He'd put her through a lot and then expected her to just be happy that he was all right. "I know, I know. I'm so sorry."

There weren't words left for Amu to say as she just cried. All the built of worry and stress was finally disappearing from her shoulders. Ikuto was fine. He was alive and he was awake. He could take back over the kingdom and she no longer had to worry that he'd never wake up. Amu's tears only came out harder.

Though it pained him to see Amu crying, Ikuto didn't try to make her tears stop. Sometimes, people just needed to cry in order to feel better. Now was one of those times. Ikuto would let the girl in his arms cry for however long she needed.

Sniffling, Amu pulled back when she had no tears left to cry. "I-I've been trying to get things sorted for you."

Smiling, Ikuto brushed some of Amu's pink hair out of her face. This girl was doing crazy things to his heart. "I saw. I looked over your notes last night before I came to wake you. Did you sleep well?"

Looking down at her lap, Amu fiddled with her fingers. Since they'd started traveling together all those months ago, she hadn't kept anything from the man in front of her. There was no reason for her to do it now. "I thought it was a dream. That you were awake and came to see me. It wouldn't have been the first one that I had. Each time I dream like that, getting up in the morning is that much harder to do."

Tilting Amu's face up with a couple of fingers under her chin, Ikuto made certain to look as serious as he could without seeming like he was angry in any way. "You don't have to worry like that anymore. You saved me. I'm awake and I'm not going anywhere."

Nodding once, Amu pulled away from Ikuto's touch. As much as she felt as though she needed to feel him to believe that this was real and that he was there, Amu knew how inappropriate it was for them to be in the situation that they were in. She didn't want anyone to misunderstand. "We should get up."

Deciding that he wouldn't push the girl any further for now, Ikuto simply got out of the pinkette's bed. He didn't need to do much to be ready for his day. The clothes he wore would be acceptable for the day. "Take your time in getting ready. I'll be taking over now."

Amu gave a soft nod and a small smile to the male before he left her room. For the first time in weeks she didn't have to stress and worry about anything. Ikuto was awake. He'd take care of everything.

.

Morg: The more I write the more I realize that I still have more to do before this story is over.

Ikuto: I don't mind it being longer.

Amu: Just end it here. He's awake and everything's great.

Morg: Nope. Not leaving loose ends like that.

Ikuto: Besides, I have to make you my queen.

Amu: Who says that I'd say yes!

Morg: Oh hohohohohoho! Just you wait!

Ikuto: Yes!

Amu: Ugh.


	25. Chapter 25

Morg: Heyo! So close to the end! I figured I shouldn't make you wait forever for updates.

Ikuto: Well, aren't you just so nice.

Amu: No one wants to read this anyways.

Morg: I disagree.

Ikuto: I know a reason that I'll keep reading.

Amu: Pervert. She doesn't own us. She can't make us do that.

Morg: But I do own the plot.

Ikuto: I love plots.

Amu: Idiots.

**~Human by Night~**

Glancing up from the work in front of him, Ikuto nodded to Kukai before shuffling through a few more papers. While there were a lot of things for him to sort out and get done, Ikuto had other things that he wanted to do first. Kukai was simply helping him to be able to do more things at once.

One of the first things that Ikuto had done besides send out word that he was awake, well and in control of his country once more was go through all his past judgments. There were quite a few of them. The dungeons were more than a little full.

Traveling with Amu had taught Ikuto a lot of things. Not everyone should be punished the same if their crimes weren't the same. There were still people that he would leave to rot for the rest of their lives in the bleak halls beneath his castle, but there were those that he was going to release. They were people that he was going to make certain had land and money to start their lives over. It was his fault that they were in the situation that they were in, anyhow.

Kukai was aiding him by taking a list of prisoners that Ikuto wanted to be brought before him for a second trial. It was easier to send the blacksmith down to the dungeons than go himself, since there were other people that also needed his attention. Still, Ikuto didn't want to leave certain people in the jail any longer than needed. Amu was a bit foolish for not doing this herself, though Ikuto completely understood her reasoning.

Still, the king wasn't going to allow for anyone to suffer anymore because of him. Not when it was needless. Ikuto listened as the person before him presented their issue. Apparently, some of Tadase's men had stolen their land and they wanted to know if they could have it back. Ikuto didn't hesitate to return what was taken. The people that favored Tadase would not be kind looked upon by the king.

It was just as he was wondering if Amu was going to sleep all day that the pinkette entered the throne room. Like she had done, Ikuto was seated at her table in front of the thrones. It was easier to be able to work from there than from the large chair behind him. "Good afternoon, Amu."

Rubbing at her face, Amu sent a small smile towards the king. The room was empty except for the two of them and Utau, at the moment. "Why aren't you sitting on your throne like a proper king?"

Throwing her hands into the air, Utau let out a loud sigh. "See! I'm not the only one that thinks it is weird that you're sitting there!"

Smirking, the king gave the two girls a small shrug. Where he sat didn't make him any less of a king. Instead of answering, Ikuto simply kept waiting for Kukai to bring the people he'd requested to him. The others waiting for his attention would just have to keep waiting for a little while. Ikuto wanted to get this done first.

As if the blacksmith had known that Ikuto was ready for him, the doors were thrown open. A group of raggedy looking people entered the room to stand before the king. Kukai made certain that they were all in the room before he closed the doors.

Ignoring the soft gasp that he'd heard come from Amu-the girl had moved to stand beside him-Ikuto stood so that every one of the people brought before him could see him. "I have looked over your cases again. The crimes that you have committed have been paid for. You will be released with food and money to begin again. If your land was seized by the crown then it shall be returned to you. You are not being set free so that you may suffer. If there is anything that you shall need, you shall have it."

There was an elderly man standing amongst the people released from the dungeons. He was someone that Amu knew very well. He was the man who raised her and cared for her until he was imprisoned. The pinkette wanted to race to her father and hold him now that he was free. However, many years had passed since she'd last since him. If he didn't remember her then Amu didn't know what she was going to do.

Noticing right away that Amu seemed to be having a hard time with whether or not she should approach the man that Ikuto knew was her father, the king called for Kukai's attention once more. "Kukai, take these people out to get them new clothes and plenty of money for their journeys home. I will leave it to you to make certain that their needs are met."

Bowing once to the king, Kukai threw the doors back open. "Okay! Come on people! Your freedom is this way!"

"Hinamori Tsumugu, you are not free to leave yet."

Grabbing onto Ikuto's sleeve, Amu sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. She had no idea what the king was thinking, but her father looked rather apprehensive that the king was asking him to stay back. It was then that Amu noticed that her father was holding the hand of a woman that looked to be about his age. The lady didn't want to leave his side, but her father seemed to be trying to convince her to go wait for him. "Tell her that she can stay, too."

Hearing Amu's wish, Ikuto cleared his throat. "She can stay. This won't take very long."

The couple moved further into the throne room as everyone else left. Their worry was clear, though Ikuto knew that in a moment it would be completely gone. Their fears were baseless. There was nothing left for them but happiness in their future.

Tsumugu moved in front of the woman he hadn't let go of yet. "Your majesty?"

Ikuto waited until Utau had shut the doors behind herself, leaving just the four of them in the giant room. "Hinamori Tsumugu, the crimes that you have committed towards the crown were wrong."

The older man flinched as he bowed his head. Tsumugu knew that no excuse could ever make right what he'd done wrong. Nothing he could say now would make up for the fact that he'd done something stupid enough to land himself in jail and leave his beautiful daughter to fend for herself. "I-I-I-"

Ending the stutters, Ikuto stepped down from his table to bow deeply to the man in front of him. "I owe you and your family more than you could ever know. Anything you need, you have only to ask."

Startled, Tsumugu exchanged looks with the woman behind him. "I don't… I don't understand."

Smirking once again, Ikuto straightened before holding out his hand for Amu to approach them. He knew that the pinkette was almost afraid that her father wouldn't recognize her. "Without this young lady's help, I would have never broken a curse placed on me. I also wouldn't have had the chance to tour my country and truly learn about my people. She has made me a better person and a better king."

Squeezing Ikuto's hand, Amu met her father's eyes with a bit of apprehension. If he didn't recognize her then she didn't know what she would do. "Papa."

Eyes widening, Tsumugu stepped forwards. Tears sprang to his eyes as he took in the sight of the girl before him. He hadn't been paying attention to her before, considering he thought that he was going to be punished further, but now that he looked at her he felt like a fool for not realizing it sooner. "Amu. My little sparrow."

Rushing into her father's arms, Amu didn't bother to hold back her tears. He'd been taken from her so long ago that she'd given up the hope that she'd ever be able to see him again. Living for as long as she had alone hadn't been easy. "Papa!"

Running his hands down his child's head and back, Tsumugu tried to comfort his daughter while holding himself together at the same time. To learn that she not only grew up beautifully, but managed to save the king was quite the shock for her father. "My beautiful Amu."

Ikuto couldn't help the smile that graced his features as he watched the family reunite. The woman that had been with Tsumugu seemed just as pleased as he felt. "I'm afraid I don't know your name."

Tsumugu seemed to remember the woman there with him as he pulled back from Amu without releasing her completely. His hand reached back for the lady that had refused to leave his side. "I'm sorry! How rude of me! This is Midori. We met in the dungeons and… well…"

Smiling softly at the man she'd grown to love, Midori better locked their fingers together. "I love him."

Returning the smile, Tsumugu gave a nod of his head to show that her words were true. "And I her."

Giggling softly, Amu wiped at her tears as she stared at the pair. Midori's refusal to leave now made a lot more sense to the pinkette. She wouldn't have left either. Not if the man she loved might be in danger. "It is nice to meet you."

Midori bowed to the girl she knew was Tsumugu's daughter. "I've heard so much about you. I just never thought that I'd meet you."

Moving forwards to take the woman's empty hand, Amu gave her a gentle smile. "Now we have plenty of time to get to know one another."

Ikuto wanted desperately to be a part of the time that the family spent together, but he couldn't. The king had other duties that he had to attend to. His kingdom had to be put back together. "Amu, you should show them to a spare room. They are welcome to stay at the castle for as long as they'd like."

Nodding back at the king, Amu smiled before pulling her father and the woman she was already thinking of as her mother out of the room. "Thank you, Ikuto. I'll find you later."

Returning the smile, Ikuto moved to sit back at his table. That small promise made him want to get his work done as quickly as possible so that they'd have plenty of time to be together later. "I'll be waiting for you."

Tsumugu couldn't help but grin at his daughter as they left the throne room. It wasn't until they were entering the room that Amu said they could use to bathe and change into better clothing that the man decided that teasing his daughter would be a good idea. "I leave for a little while and you make a king fall in love with you."

Amu's smile stayed in place though she had to force it to. She and Ikuto hadn't had a chance to speak yet about love. They weren't lovers before she'd been taken by Tadase. In fact, when she'd confessed Ikuto had either been dead or basically in a magical coma. The king didn't actually know of her feelings for him. "I… We don't… Papa!"

Laughing, the older man took his daughters hands before pulling her into a hug. "Let an old man have his fun. We'll change and then we can go find something to eat."

Amu bowed before slipping out of the room. Her father might have been teasing, but the thoughts were ones that wouldn't leave her head now. What was she to Ikuto?

XXX

Finished with his work for the day, Ikuto let out a yawn as he stretched. Amu had yet to come find him, though Ikuto suspected that that was because the pinkette was having a good time with her family. A family that he'd taken from her needlessly. He hoped that there wouldn't be any hard feelings between them, though he definitely deserved it if they didn't like him for what he'd done.

Not completely surprised, Ikuto found Amu in the hall. She was calling good night to her father and her new mother as she closed the door of their room. Ikuto waited until the girl turned and noticed him before he spoke. "How did it go?"

Smiling, Amu moved away from the door so that the two older people wouldn't hear her speaking with Ikuto. "Really well. They'd like to get married. Though my father doesn't want to stay in the castle. He wants to return home. Midori agrees that that's where they'd be most comfortable."

Ikuto gave the girl a small nod as he smiled. "A wedding sounds like a perfect thing to have. Do they want to celebrate here?"

Shaking her head, Amu couldn't help but let her smile falter a little. The question that her father had asked her before she'd left them for the night was still haunting her. "They… They want me to go back with them."

Feeling as though his heart had just dove off a cliff, Ikuto wasn't quite certain what he should say. The way Amu was fiddling with her fingers and biting at her lip told him that she was worried about what he would say. "Amu, you are free to do whatever you wish. I will not force you to stay if you want to go. I'm not Tadase."

Letting out the breath that she'd been holding, Amu couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed by Ikuto's answer. She'd been hoping that he'd ask her to stay. "Then I'll go."

Heart breaking, Ikuto watched as the girl he truly loved walked away from him. He couldn't force her to stay, but he couldn't let her go. Ikuto knew that he'd love Amu for the rest of his life.

.

Morg: Did you guys think the drama would just be over?

Ikuto: I was hoping for a different sort of ending for this chapter.

Amu: I quite like the idea of me leaving.

Morg: Oh, the story isn't over yet. Just you wait.

Ikuto: Yes!

Amu: No thanks!


	26. Chapter 26

Morg: Heyo! As close as we are to the end of this story, I keep finding more things to write about!

Ikuto: None of us mind that.

Amu: Some of us do.

Morg: We really are close to the end.

Ikuto: You can make it a little longer.

Amu: It isn't like she owns us! It doesn't matter how long the story is!

Morg: I shall do my best!

**~Human by Night~**

As much as Ikuto wanted to host a large party in the celebration of Midori's and Tsumugu's wedding, the couple wouldn't allow him to do so. Still, Ikuto managed to convince them that a performance by Nagi's and Rima's traveling troupe would be a great way to celebrate. They'd only relented when Ikuto had mentioned that all the kids from the orphanage would be able to see the performance as well.

Through it all, the king had a hard time keeping his happy façade in place. Amu was leaving with the older couple once everything was done. Ikuto didn't want her to go. Maybe he was trying to find more reasons for them to stay, but it didn't matter in the end. They were still leaving.

Moving through the castle to make certain the children were settling in well, Ikuto couldn't help but keep his eye out for a certain young boy. Children ran about, laughing and playing in the halls of the castle. Ikuto truly enjoyed the sight. However, there was one little boy that he knew couldn't run and play like the others. He was also the one that Ikuto was having a hard time finding.

Spotting Yaya, the king made his way over to the tired looking orphanage worker. "Yaya, I'm glad to see that you made it here safely."  
>Smiling up at the king, Yaya nodded her head before shouting at some of the children to slow down. Once she was certain they weren't going to hurt themselves, the young woman turned back to the king. "Yaya is glad to be here, too, Ikuto-sama. Yaya never thought something like this would be possible."<p>

Simply happy that he could do so much to help the people of his kingdom, Ikuto smiled down at the short girl. "It's my pleasure, Yaya. I was wondering… Is Yoru here?"

Smiling up at the king, Yaya didn't bother to answer as she pointed towards the room that the young boy was in. The journey hadn't been kind to the disabled lad, but Yaya was thankful that they'd made it and that Ikuto was rather caring towards the younger male.

Not bothering to say goodbye to the orphanage caretaker, Ikuto made his way into one of the rooms that had been empty for quite a long time. What he found broke his heart all over again. Yoru was extremely pale as he laid in a huge bed on his own. The young boy seemed to be having a bit of trouble breathing. Ikuto didn't like this sight at all.

Sticking his head back out of the doorway, the king caught sight of one of his servants trying to get a couple of kids to calm down. "You there! Get me Kairi! Hurry!"

Startled by the shout and seeing that it was the king, the servant bowed before running from the hall to find the doctor.

Returning to Yoru's side, Ikuto let out a quiet sigh as he knelt next to the young boy. "Yoru? Can you hear me?"

The boy opened his eyes a bit before letting out a few coughs. "Ik-Ikuto-sama?"

The last time that Ikuto had seen this young child, the king had cried his eyes out. He'd wanted this visit to be much happier, though it didn't seem like it was going to go that way. Yoru was definitely sick. The handicapped boy was in a worse condition than when he'd last saw him. Travelling to the castle hadn't been easy for the child. "I'm here, Yoru. I came to see you."

Smiling a bit, though his body really hurt, Yoru tried to sit up on his bed. He liked visits from the king even if they did sometimes cry during them. "I-I came to s-see you! Yaya sa-"

Coughing cut off Yoru's words as the child shuddered as he tried to catch his breath. His body jolted as the powerful contraction of his lungs sent pain throughout his limbs.

Ikuto could tell from the sound of the cough that it wasn't just air that was inside the boy's lungs. "Yoru. It's okay, Yoru. I'm right here. You're okay. You're going to be fine. Just breathe."

Eyes locking onto Ikuto's blue ones, Yoru tried to focus on what the king was saying to him. He could hear the other's comforting voice, but he couldn't make out the words. His body felt tired and his mind screamed for more sleep, though his coughing never let him sleep peacefully.

The coughing fit ended just as Kairi walked through the door. The doctor had heard enough to know that Yoru needed serious help if he was going to survive. "He's got pneumonia. It probably started as a cold, but travelling through the woods to get to the castle made it worse. He's going to need a lot of rest and some medication."

Looking up from the crying child on the bed before him, Ikuto didn't bother to think over his reply to Kairi's diagnosis. "Whatever he needs, do it. I'll pay anything. Just don't let him die."

Ikuto had changed a lot since he returned to being the king. Kairi knew that, though most of the time the man was mostly focused on matters that pertained to Amu. This time, however, the pinkette wasn't involved with the situation in any way, and yet, Ikuto was doing everything he could. Any doubt that could have been left within Kairi's mind vanished. Ikuto truly was a great king. "I'll do everything I can."

Nodding, Ikuto returned his gaze to Yoru to see that the young boy was staring back at him. "I'm so glad that you came here to live with me, Yoru. This is Kairi. He's a doctor. He's going to make you feel better so that we can play again."

Sighing as he nuzzled into the hand placed against his cheek, Yoru let out a tired yawn. Doctors weren't always nice, but if Ikuto trusted Kairi then Yoru would, too. "Ikuto-sama?"

Humming, Ikuto brushed some of the sweaty hair off Yoru's forehead. This boy was going to get better. Ikuto was going to make certain of it. "What is it?"

Sleep drawing him under, Yoru tried to get his words out. "C-can you still… turn into a panther?"

Smiling at the slurred words, Ikuto tucked the little boy into the bed so that he wouldn't become cold. "I'm sorry, Yoru. I can't do that anymore."

One last yawn stretched Yoru's taunt cheeks. He'd lost some of the little weight that he'd had, though the child wasn't so much aware of it as the adults around him. "That's okay… I still like you."

Heart wrenching in his chest, Ikuto forced a smile as he choked back tears. "I like you, too. Sleep now. You'll feel better soon."

Silently placing a hand onto Ikuto's shoulder, Kairi motioned for the other to follow him out of the room after he was certain that Yoru was asleep. Whatever Ikuto's connection was with the child, Kairi wasn't going to lose his patient. "He should recover within a few weeks. If he's properly taken care of then he should be up and running in no time."

Wincing at that particular choice in wording, Ikuto shook his head. "Kairi… Yoru is handicapped. He was beaten by his family before he managed to get to the orphanage. He can't walk without assistance."

Frowning at the information given to him, Kairi let out a sigh. "I'll look over the extent of the damage. If there is anything I can do for him, trust me, Ikuto, I will do it."

There was no one that Ikuto trusted more with Yoru's health than the doctor before him.

XXX

Noticing that Ikuto wasn't particularly paying attention to the brightly colored people or the fantastic show being put on before them, Amu turned away from the tumbling troupe to study the king for a moment more. "Ikuto, what's wrong?"

Pulled out of his thoughts by Amu's voice, Ikuto lifted his gaze to find that she was sitting beside him as she usually was. The concern on her face was the most emotion he'd seen out of her the last few days. Then again, Ikuto hadn't seen much of Amu as he was busy trying to fix his kingdom and take care of Yoru. That and Amu was rather busy preparing to leave with her parents. The newly united couple were taking all the time they could with Amu, leaving Ikuto with none for himself.

He'd been the one to push for Nagi's and Rima's performance. So many people in attendance cheered as a man juggled flaming torches and a woman swallowed knives. It was a spectacular show, though the king couldn't find much to be interested in at the moment. Amu was to leave the following day, and despite Kairi's reassurances that Yoru was getting better, Ikuto was still worried.

Still, being that he was king, Ikuto knew that he needed to push everything away from himself and set an example for his people. He was supposed to be enjoying the show just as much as the rest of them. Not pouting in his chair. "I'm fine. Everything's fine. I'm just a bit tired. These last few days have been busy."

Being that she hadn't seen a lot of the king over the last few days, Amu knew that Ikuto was being truthful. They'd both been busy, though Amu regretted it now. Ikuto didn't seem quite like himself. Something was definitely getting him down. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'll always listen to you."

A sting raced through his body at her words. They weren't true. Amu was leaving him. She wouldn't always be there to listen when he needed her, though at the moment, she was there. She sat right there beside him and the pinkette was definitely ready to listen to whatever it was that he needed to say.

It was in that short moment of contemplation that Ikuto realized that he never got to tell Amu about Yoru's condition. She didn't know that the little boy that Ikuto had come to love was sick. "It's Yoru."

A bit surprised by the admission, Amu let her eyes slip from Ikuto's to scan the crowd. The entire orphanage was there to watch the show. The kids would cheer and scream when the dancers did something dangerous. The made the show just that much more entertaining. Still, she didn't catch sight of a bit of blue amongst them. "Where is here? I didn't think that Yoru would want to miss this."

Flinching at the words, Ikuto cleared his throat so that Amu's gaze would return to him. Ikuto let his eyes wander to where Rima and Nagihiko were getting ready to cross the rope that they'd hung high above the courtyard the day before. "He's sick, Amu. Yoru can't leave his bed. Kairi is taking care of him."

Shocked by the news, Amu had to hold herself back from grasping Ikuto's arm. The gesture wouldn't seem very appropriate to anyone that might be watching them. "Is he going to be okay?"

The concern in Amu's voice made Ikuto smile, though it was rather small. "Kairi says that he will be. His cough was so bad. He almost died on the journey here. His cold turned into pneumonia. If I hadn't gone to see him after they got here then I don't think he'd be alive right now."

Forgetting about trying to be proper, Amu slipped her hand into Ikuto's. Something in her chest caught at the thought of something happening to Yoru. That child had been through so much already. For him to suffer more… the pinkette could hardly stand the thought of it. "If Kairi is taking care of him then everything should be fine."

Lips lifting just a bit higher, Ikuto squeezed Amu's hand before he moved it out of his grip. Her pained look at his actions didn't go unnoticed, though he did ignore them. "When he's healthy again, I think I'm going to adopt him. I will not let him suffer anymore. Never again."

Chest pulling tighter, Amu forced herself to watch as Rima and Nagihiko seemed to defy gravity and death as they did flips while still on that high rope. Maybe the concern on her face could be mistake for them rather than the man beside her. With every moment passing before her departure, Amu found herself not wanting to go. If Ikuto asked her to stay then she wouldn't hesitate. "That sounds like a good idea."

Letting the conversation go for now, and feeling a bit better that he had had it, Ikuto forced himself to clap along with the cheering people as Nagi and Rima took their bows. He might not have watched most of their performance, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was spectacular.

XXX

"Amu-chan, we should get going if we want to get there before it gets dark."

Hearing the call from her new mother, but not quite ready to leave just yet, Amu pretended to be trying to fix the straps on her pack. They'd refused horses from Ikuto. They'd even refused a carriage, preferring to just walk out of the castle and be free. At least, that's what Midori and her father wanted. Amu wasn't certain that she wanted freedom from the walls she was in. Maybe before when Tadase had imprisoned her there, she'd wanted out. But now. Now she wasn't so certain. "I'm coming. Just a moment."

Sighing at the sight of his daughter, Tsumugu slipped his arm around Midori's waist. "Little Sparrow, I can't help but think you're not ready to come with us. We can go on ahead."

Shaking her head, Amu forced all of her feelings from her mind. The only real reason she'd been holding back was because she was kind of hoping that Ikuto would come to say goodbye. She hadn't seen him since the night before, though Amu knew that the king was rather busy. Still, she'd thought she was important to him. "I'm coming. Let's go."

If Ikuto didn't want to come and say goodbye then Amu wasn't going to wait for him.

XXX

Watching from the window of his throne room, Ikuto forced himself to remain calm as three figures walked out of the gates of his castle. As badly as he'd wanted to go and see them off, Ikuto had known that if he were to see Amu he'd beg her not to leave him. The king couldn't show such weakness. He also could never ask Amu to do something she didn't want to do. The girl had been through so much because of him. She deserved a quiet life with her father and mother.

"You, your highness, are an idiot."

Not sparing the blacksmith a glance, Ikuto clenched his fists by his side. "That, I already know."

Snorting, Kukai moved towards the door of the throne room. "I would say that you're the biggest of them all, but I think a rather pink haired girl takes that title."

The comment made Ikuto curious, but Kukai was gone before he could ask. Following the male was out of the question with other servants coming in to give him reports and update him on the happenings of his castle. He needed to finish his work so that he could go and visit Yoru. Ikuto was teaching the boy how to read. He wasn't going to miss his nightly visits to the sick boy without good reason. And by good reason, Ikuto meant that there wasn't one.

As sad as he was. No, not sad. Devastated. As devastated as he was to see Amu go, Ikuto still had a country to run. She might be the love of his life, but he had obligations that had to be taken care of. Maybe someday their paths would cross again.

.

Morg: Love me, hate me, I don't care anymore.

Ikuto: Is this the end?

Amu: This better not be the end.

Morg: As much as I wanted this to be the end of this story, it isn't.

Ikuto: Good.

Amu: Good. I mean, whatever.

Morg: So many loose ends to tie up! I'll get there though! We are super close!


	27. Chapter 27

Morg: Heyo! We're so close to the end of this story that I can smell it.

Ikuto: Haven't you been saying that for a while?

Amu: I thought this was going to end ages ago.

Morg: Well! We're getting there for real this time.

Ikuto: So we're finally hitting the good stuff.

Amu: If you mean the credits, then yeah.

Morg: Oh come on, just because I don't own you doesn't mean I'm going to end this fast. Besides, this has been a great story.

Ikuto: Could be better.

Amu: Only when it's over will I be happy.

**~Human by Night~**

Looking over the plans once more, Ikuto bit at the inside of his lip. There couldn't be any mistakes. He couldn't do that to Yoru. "You're absolutely certain that this will work? I won't allow him to get his hopes up unless you can assure me that this will be successful. He can't even know about this until you can-"

"Jeez, Ikuto! Chill, man. He isn't even your son yet and you're freaking out so much."

Glaring at the blacksmith, Ikuto waited for his questions to be answer.

Sighing, Kairi stepped between the two men to gesture at the plans on the table. "This will work. Kukai and I have both been working on the design. I'll measure him again, but I don't think it's needed. Just okay it so Kukai can get started."

Ikuto looked back at the plans on the table. The braces that the two had brought to him for his okay to build were for the young boy in his palace. They'd allow for Yoru to walk again. It wasn't something that Yoru had said he wished for, but it was something Ikuto knew he yearned for. They spent enough time together for the king to figure that much out.

Releasing his own sigh, Ikuto gave a nod of his head. "Make them. How long will it take?"

Running his hand through his hair, Kukai looked back over the plans he already knew so well. It wasn't like he couldn't make Ikuto wait for a bit. "With all the parts, maybe a week or two. I'll put this as priority. Not that I really have a whole lot to do since I just run your shop now."

Being that the blacksmith just hadn't left after they'd retaken the castle-that fact was the same for a lot of the people that had helped him-Ikuto had given him a job. Kukai was in charge of making sure all the orders that came into the royal blacksmith's shop were carried out. There were other men there to work and learn so Ikuto knew that Kukai didn't exactly have much to do.

That being the case, the king was rather certain that the male before him could get them done quickly. "I don't want anyone else to even touch them. I only trust this with you, Kukai. You know how important this is."

Nodding, Kukai couldn't help but give the king a cheeky smile. It wasn't often that Ikuto openly acknowledged Kukai's gift with metals and fire. "Will do! No one else shall touch them."

"Oh, and try to have them done within the week. I'll be adopting him next week and I want him to be able to stand for it."

Sighing as the blacksmith rushed from the room, Kairi turned back to the king. "You're going to have to give him a bit of time to get used to using them. It isn't like he can just magically walk because he has braces. His muscles won't be used to it."

The king wasn't stupid. He knew all that Kairi was trying to explain to him. However, if it wasn't for Kairi then Yoru would be dead. Ikuto let the man say whatever he wanted. "Yes, I know. The bit I want him to walk for is only a little within the throne room. He'll have to accept the prince's crown and then sit on the correct throne."

Smiling at the amount of detail that the other already knew for the upcoming ceremony, Kairi rested a hand on Ikuto's arm. There was no one else present. They'd long ago done without the limitations set by others. "Sounds like you've got everything planned."

"Of course I do. I'm serious about this."

As close as they had become while caring for Yoru, Kairi knew that his next question might be stepping over the line. The only person that dared to broach the subject was Utau. The girl either had guts or no brain. Kairi wasn't quite certain which yet. "Have you thought about inviting Amu?"

Jaw tightening just a bit, Ikuto refused to show his emotions. The pinkette had been gone for several weeks. There was no word from her or her parents, though Ikuto hadn't exactly sent anyone to check on them either. "I haven't."

Deciding that he'd pushed his luck this far already, Kairi figured going a bit further wouldn't hurt. "Don't you think you should? Yoru talks about her, too. I'm sure he'd like for her to be here."

"He doesn't even know that I'm adopting him yet."

Frowning now, Kairi turned so that he was fully facing the king. "You are a fool. You're the one that let her leave. Don't stand here and pout now."

Growling a bit, Ikuto wanted to point at the crown on his head and remind the other who he was, but Kairi's words did ring true. "It wasn't like she would have stayed even if I asked her to."

Shaking his head, Kairi let out another sigh. Leave to the two of them to know each other so well, but still be idiots when it came to love. "This is why you are a fool. There is a reason that the curse was broken and you were saved. Amu declared her love for you. She loves you and you didn't even ask her to stay with you."

Feeling like the fool that he knew he was, Ikuto didn't bother to close his mouth after it popped open. He didn't know that Amu had returned his feelings. He remembered telling her that he loved her, but he figured that she didn't feel the same way if she didn't say anything back. "She did?"

The words were weak. Kairi didn't think it would be a good idea to rub salt into an already stinging wound. "There's no way that she couldn't. You did everything for her, to save her."

Moving backwards until he fell into the chair he kept near the table, Ikuto groaned as he dropped his head into his hands. His crown clattered to the ground, though neither he nor Kairi moved to pick it up. "She loves me, too, and I just let her leave without saying goodbye."

Hiding his smile since the other was finally figuring it out, Kairi finally moved to grab the crown from the floor, however, he did not return it to the king. "To break the curse, from what I've heard of it, you had to become a good king. I think you've done that."

Looking up at the man holding his crown, Ikuto let one of his eyebrows raise. "Where are you going with this?"

"You saved the country, you rescued Amu and you've put everything back in order. Yoru is healthy again and learned so much from you. Next week, he'll be able to walk again and he'll have a real family. Don't you think it's okay for you to take a break from doing things for other people and be selfish for a bit?"

Ikuto was rather confused by what the doctor meant. There were plenty of times when he was selfish. Hell, breaking into the castle to get it back from Tadase had been a selfish reason, even if he could justify it by saying it was for the betterment of his country. Ikuto knew it was because of Amu. "I would like to say that I'm a much better king than before, but I have a long ways to go before you could say that I'm not being selfish. Everything I'm doing for Yoru is also for myself."

Shaking his head, Kairi dropped the crown onto Ikuto's table full of papers. The other didn't need it at the moment and the doctor was determined to make the other know it. "No, you do things for other people. You can say that you also want them, but someone else always benefits from everything you do. For just this once, do something purely for yourself. Forget everyone else. What do you want?"

The answer to that question as rather easy to answer. Ikuto knew exactly what he wanted. The king wanted Amu to be at his side. He didn't like that she was so far away from him. It made him a bit restless even if he was good at hiding it. However, he'd never force her like Tadase did. But that didn't mean that he couldn't ask her, right? "What I want?"

Grinning now, Kairi made his way to the door. He knew that he'd done enough already. He'd given Ikuto the push. The rest was up to the king. "Go and get it, whatever it is."

Ikuto only had to think for a few more minutes until he was on his feet and slipping through the halls of his castle. The crown was left on his table. He didn't need it for this.

Unfortunately, he didn't make it out without being spotted.

"Ikuto! There are some people here for you to meet with."

Turning to the blonde, Ikuto let out a sigh. Utau had not only decided to stay, but was now something of a secretary since everyone had to go through her before she'd let them meet him. Ikuto didn't really mind. It sorted out the less important things for others to deal with and gave him more time to deal with the most important things. "Is it pressing?"

Glancing back at the people that she could see through an open doorway and then back at the king, Utau gave the man a smirk. "Nothing they can't wait for."

Nodding at the other, Ikuto continued on his way without a reply. Utau knew what to do with the people that decided on their own that they _had_ to see the king and no one else. Besides, he was rather busy at the moment.

The best part about being cursed, besides meeting Amu, was that Ikuto was able to explore his country. He knew the area so much better now. Before, he'd rarely left his castle, choosing instead to make people come to him. Now, he could move about the nearby countryside without fear of getting lost.

The trek to Amu's was easier than he'd thought it'd be. No one actually recognized him, not that he met a lot of people on his way. Pausing at the tree that he'd first found to nap in the morning after he'd woken as a panther, Ikuto couldn't help but want to climb up onto the same branch that he'd been on before. It was the place that he'd met Amu for the first time, when she'd been trying to decide whether to kill him or not and had taken him as a pet.

Ikuto knew it was the right tree due to the claw marks in the bark. He'd been rather inexperienced back then. He'd become much more skilled during his time as a panther, and though he no longer had the ability to turn into a cat, he could still climb trees.

Laying out on the branch, Ikuto looked up through the leaves as he took a moment to just think about what he was doing. Was finding Amu and asking her to come back something he really wanted? Of course the answer was yes, but was it something she'd want? That was what was troubling.

Closing his eyes, Ikuto remembered the day they'd met. Amu had been so quiet moving through the forest that he hadn't known she was there until there was a blade pressed against his throat.

Eyes widening at the feeling of cool metal at his neck, Ikuto didn't dare to move in his spot. He was foolish for letting his guard down so easily.

"What's this? A cat taking a nap?"

Smiling at the sound of a voice he knew so well, Ikuto ignored the blade against his skin to turn his head and look down at Amu. "Hey, I wasn't sleeping."

Lifting one eyebrow, Amu moved back so the other could get down from his spot. "You're not a cat either, but you went for the nap thing first."

Much too happy to see the girl before him to worry about her teasing, Ikuto continued to smile. There was no way he was ever going to admit that his time as a cat had left him feeling like one at times still. There was no need to give Amu so much information that she could use against him. "What are you doing here?"

Shuffling a bit, Amu ignored the fact that she'd been visiting the place quite often. It was the place she'd found the man before her even if she had been planning to kill him at first. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? Did you have to sneak out or something to get away from the castle?"

Chuckling at that, Ikuto leaned back against the tree as he crossed his arms. He was just so happy to see Amu again that they could talk about nothing and it'd be the best conversation of his life. "No, Utau pretty much runs most things for me and Kairi practically threw me out and told me to take a break. Everything's going rather well."

Sucking her bottom lip into her mouth so that she could bite it for a moment, Amu looked away from the man in front of her. There was a question that she wanted to ask but was afraid to know the answer to. "How's…" Clearing her throat, Amu tried again. "How's Yoru?"

Smiling softening a bit at the thought of his future son, Ikuto let out a quiet sigh. "He's doing really well. He's no longer sick. I've been teaching him to read. I'm also…"

Perking up when Ikuto trailed off, Amu reached out to touch his arm, though her hand fell back to her side before she ever made contact with the king. She didn't know if she had the right to touch him anymore. "You what?"

Disappointed that she hadn't touched him like she used to, Ikuto ignored the yearning to feel Amu against him. "I'm going to take him as my son. The ceremony is next week."

"That's really great!"

"That's actually why I'm here."

Puzzled by that, Amu tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Clearing his throat, Ikuto refused to avert his gaze. There was no way he was going to show how nervous he was feeling at the moment. "I was on my way to your house to see if you'd come back. For the ceremony, that is."

Heart fluttering at the sound of his words, Amu moved just a step closer to the male before her. Ikuto had only asked her to come back for the ceremony for Yoru, but if he'd come himself then he must want her in his life still. "You want me to come back?"

Realizing how close they were at the moment, Ikuto stood up straighter as his eyes flickered to Amu's lips before going back to her eyes. "I never wanted you to leave."

Her body didn't stop inching forward. Not until her chest was pressing up against his. "You didn't ask me to stay. I wanted you to ask me to stay."

Swallowing, Ikuto wrapped his arms around her waist. The fact that she didn't shake him off made him feel just a bit less nervous. "I told you before that I loved you. Nothing has changed since then."

Smiling at the memory, though it wasn't a particularly good one, Amu felt a few tears gather in her eyes. They were clouding her vision, but she was close enough to Ikuto to feel him completely. "I told you not to confess to me like that."

Chuckling again, Ikuto lowered his head to nuzzle at Amu's cheek. "Can I confess to you like this?"

Breath stuttering within her lungs, Amu nodded before turning her head to meet Ikuto's lips. The kiss was short, but it was perfect. "Don't let me go again."

Smiling, Ikuto tightened his hold to pull Amu against him harder. The action made the girl in his arms giggle. "I don't plan on it."

With her arms around Ikuto's neck, Amu pulled herself up onto her toes so that their faces and lips could be closer together. "Then take me back so that we can be together because I love you, too."

Ikuto was never happier in his life than at that moment.

.

Morg: So yeah. Long chapter. Happens when you're wrapping stuff up.

Ikuto: Are you saying what I think you're saying?

Amu: Only one more chapter?

Morg: Just the epilogue is left!

Ikuto: It better be good.

Amu: Heck, you don't even have to post one! I'm happy with this as it is.

Morg: You want me to leave it with you making out with Ikuto?

Ikuto: I'd be okay with that.

Amu: I take it back! An epilogue sounds nice.


End file.
